Once Upon A Fanfic
by GrayHuntress
Summary: A future Earth-bound niece of the Matriarch is delivered Sally's ancient diary. Reading it fuels the girl's wishes to write her own story in the old dusty universe known as 'fanfic'. She needs reviews and feedback! Little does she realize the power of her wishes! Dedicated to all writers of fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

Once Upon A Fanfic

_**A/N: Ah, she's back. Have done very little writing while I was away. Perhaps writing for money will happen after I retire. Anyway, this little idea has been in my head for some time. Hope you enjoy! Oh goodness, I forgot the obligatory statement - I own nothing except for my original characters. **_

**Chapter One: Beware the Gift Horse**

The musty smelling trunk had been carted and then lugged onto the front porch of the house by the lone delivery man who maneuvered his brown van through the muddy chuckholes that dotted the driveway. No one else was home, so Maree took the too-thin stick and attempted to sign her name on the electronic pad. What appeared on the bottom line, next to the delivery man's finger, was an agitated scrawl. She frowned at the signature but it was soon snapped away. The truck lumbered off, leaving disturbed puddles of water and one large brown trunk behind.

Maree ran one hand over the duct tape that bound the antique chest and wondered if it would come off without taking a layer of brown with it. Her parents often had things they had purchased on the internet delivered to the house but those items always came in large light brown envelopes or cardboard boxes. A small gray tag fluttered in the breeze, catching her attention. Grasping the paper, she read aloud, "To…Ms. Maree DeHaven, 20943 West Admiral… It's for me!" Her squeal frightened the cat sunbathing on the swing at the far end of the long porch. He jumped up and then gave her his most disgusted slit-eyed stare.

"Sorry, Catman," she apologized to the ruffled feline, who immediately sat back down and began washing a hind leg. _It's from Boyer, Garcia & Lierz, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Hmmmm. Sounds like a law firm. Santa Fe…don't know anyone from there. Now…how to get this in the house? _

The remnants of strappy leather handles were on each side of her package. They had grown brittle with age and hung as they had snapped during some long-ago hauling. She grasped the longest one and tugged. The large case was fairly heavy, but not impossible to move, she decided as it clumsily bumped over the porch and up to the door jamb. Maree lifted the end and tried to pull it in the opened door. Instead of coming along, the rotten leather snapped from its mooring on the box side, sending Maree to an ungraceful landing on her bottom. She hit with an abrupt jolt to her hip bones, and smarting palms where her thrown-back hands had landed and then slid along the hard wood floor. "Damn," she muttered, grateful that no one was around to witness her indignity. A bit stiffly, she got up and surveyed the situation. The uncooperative trunk was now sitting half in and half out the front door. In a new tactic, she squatted and tried to lift it by the edges but they slowly slipped through her already floor-burned hands. After waving her hands in the air to cool the sting, she trotted to the back door and went outside to come around the house. Climbing the white porch stairs, she knelt and attacked the trunk from the rear, pushing at it with her forearms. It slid slowly up over the door jamb, hovered a moment as it balanced between in and out and then thumped down onto the entrance-way rug that protected her mom's greatly admired solid oak floor. Another heave and it was completely inside. Maree worriedly followed, to inspect the floor behind the box for scratches. To her relief, all the small brass corner bumps that served as diminutive feet had landed within the rug boundary and the sacred floor was safe.

Now Maree determinedly grasped the edges of the stiff rug and pulled the box from in front of the doorway, then walked all around the wooden monster and wondered if she should open it now or try to drag the bulky thing to her room. Mom and David would not be back for several hours yet. Thirsty, she went to the old side-by-side refrigerator and pulled a soda from the stack of cans inside. _A sit and a sip while I think about this. _She did a little sort of dance with her upper body to the rhyme and folded her long legs to the side as she sank down onto the red leather ottoman and faced her wooden foe. Brushing back the ashy-brown tendrils from her forehead, she studied the trunk with eyes the color of a summer storm just gone green with the promise of hail stones.

Maree was rather pretty, but then nearly all girls are pretty when they are young. A freshman at nearby A & M, she found many of her classes mundane and repetitious of what she had learned in high school. That is until she had enrolled in a course in literature. Usually, she changed her mind several times each semester about what her major should be. But this term she was fixated with the idea that the world did not contain a sufficient number of excellent writers. Her fertile and now stimulated imagination had embarked on several fantasies of life as a published author. Book-signings, appearances on television talk shows and a secluded apartment in a big city were all part of the lifestyle she imagined for herself. Not content to merely imagine, Maree had begun researching what major and which studies would best prepare her. She was about to begin launching a web search when she had been interrupted by the honk of the delivery man's van in the driveway.

_One sure way to deal with this thing is to empty it!_

The utility drawer in the kitchen provided a box cutter which smoothly cut through the silvery duct tape, freeing the truck's lid. After ensuring that everything was loose, Maree stowed the cutter blade and undid the grimy front latch. The metal fastening was bumpy with rust and left grainy stains upon her fingers. After wiping her hands on the thighs of her worn jeans, she levered herself to pry open the lid. It came reluctantly, as the creaky hinges protested at having to open the old mouth that had grown used to being closed. She carefully lifted the lid to the fully gaping position. It hung there, crookedly, on extended hinges. The first thing that caught her eye was an envelope addressed to her, firmly taped on the inside of the lid. A glance into the bottom of the box showed that the contents were firmly stowed beneath air-bubbled packing material. Maree held the leash on her urge to dive under the protective layer and reached for the envelope instead.

Whoever had fastened it to the underside of the lid had taken pains to make certain it would never be dislodged as the packing tape sealed every edge of the paper against the stale old wood. Thick with adhesive, the ribbon finally gave way to her picking fingernails. Quickly, one edge was torn open and a single sheet of folded paper pulled out. The inside revealed the elegantly printed header of the law firm of Boyer, Garcia & Lierz in gilt and black lettering. A brush of fingertips over the name verified that the words were raised.

_Looks expensive. A fancy, high-priced law firm…HAS SENT ME SOMETHING!_

A chill of anticipation made her shiver as her eyes flashed down to the contents,

Dear Ms. Maree DeHaven,

Please receive this container per the instruction of the last will and testament of our client, Mrs. Rosa Garcia. Within said will, she indicated that this container had been given to her great-grandmother by the late Ms. Sally DeHaven with certain stipulations. Mrs. Garcia made arrangements that after her death, the trunk should be delivered to any surviving female blood relative of Ms. DeHaven and that she had determined that individual to be you, Ms. Maree DeHaven.

We have opened the trunk, per instruction from our client's will and have secured the contents prior to transportation. Upon receipt of your delivery signature, our firm will consider our responsibility to our client discharged.

Sincerely,

Mr. Henry Garcia

_Amazing! Who is Sally DeHaven? What on earth has she given me?_

Carefully, she began to pull the layers of packing plastic, scattering them on the floor. Fully half the depth of the box was filled with the stuff. Finally, as yet another layer was lifted, she found the contents. Only two items were laying there on yet more layers of the infernal protective wrap, a small black box and a larger package with a layer of brown packing paper rubber-banded over it. She reached for the larger package. Stout rubber bands secured the wrap which looked quite old and fragile. She could see an address in very neat old-style cursive writing, Mrs. Rosa Garcia, 115 Santa Rosa Way, Santa Fe NM. The zip code was partially hidden behind a rubber band. The 'from' part of the address had faded, but Maree could still make out a faint, Ms. Sally DeHaven in the upper left-hand corner. She pulled on the rubber bands to slip them from the package and was not surprised when they simply broke – too old to stretch any more. The wrapping paper was eased off and the young woman held a small, but thick, book in her hands. The cover was smooth pebbly gray leather with a plain silver clasp that closed more of the gray leather as a strap over the non-bound edge. It felt cool and elegant. She pressed and then tugged at the clasp before she saw the keyhole.

_Locked! _

She laid the book back in the trunk and grabbed the dark box. Not surprisingly, it was taped shut. A quick nick with the handy box cutter freed the lid. Inside, she pulled up a cushion of white padding and there, on a layer of more white, rested a tiny silver key along with what looked like a rock.

_A rock? No, more like a shaped stone._

She picked up the oddity, turning it over and examining it in her hand. It was a very plain and brownish rectangle with one short end slightly wider than the other. The edges weren't chipped but rather, finely dressed. _Honed. The edges are honed? _She wondered where she had learned that word and if she was using it correctly. At the narrow end, there was a small hole right through the fairly thin stone. _I have no idea what this is. _She tucked it back in the box and picked up the tiny key. Slipping it into the petite keyhole she turned and heard a small click. The silver clasp fell from its post and dangled on the end of the closure. Excited, Maree turned back the cover and noticed how stiff it was to open and the slight musty smell that wafted up from the pages.

Maree scanned the first page. The pale blue lined paper was filled with neatly written words and a glance through the other pages showed line drawings in some of the margins. "Well this is interesting," she murmured aloud and went to plop on the old-but-comfy sofa to begin reading. She stuffed a few cushions under her back before placing the book upon her bent legs.

_This is a diary! People used to write things down…their thoughts and what had happened to them. Good thing I learned to read cursive! All that writing must have really cramped their hands. So much better to just speak into your day planner. Mine is great for reminders and interfacing with my appointment calendar. Can't imagine having enough happen in a day that I'd want to make the effort to record forever though, at least not most days. Let's see how you spent your days, Sally…_

Over the next two hours, she read about the life of the unknown woman. She learned that Sally was a single, rather alone person, whose entire life seemed to be her career. She worked for a large corporation in the health industry and managed some of their facilities. She had been offered a significant promotion and relocation package. In page after page, Sally thrashed back and forth about accepting the new job. It seemed that she didn't mind moving to the southwest but was concerned about the career track the new job would put her on. Maree thought that the amount of money the company had offered seemed pretty nice, even if it wasn't that unusual by today's standards. She didn't know what Sally's dollar was worth today so she paused to consult the computer on her wrist.

_Whoa! How could you turn that down? Did you leave any of it to me? _That thought plunged Maree eagerly back into the diary.

Eventually, Sally decided to make the move. It was pretty painless, Maree decided, what with the company paid movers showing up and packing everything for her, then carting it out to some van. Sally boarded a flight and within a short time met her belongings at her new apartment in New Mexico. She didn't exactly spell out in the diary just where this new job was, but it was within driving distance of Santa Fe. The diary spent a few pages telling of the varied art markets in the vicinity and of the excellent hiking in the area.

_Sounds nice. A new job in a new place and plenty of money to go with it. I could go for a deal like that!_

Maree read on. Sally was the top dog at this new place she worked in, with the exception of some guy she called, "Chief" who was in charge of security. Maree could picture fat, uniformed security guards standing by building entrances. Sally didn't have a lot to say about this Chief, except to note that he and his 'troops' didn't report to her, but to someone at the corporate headquarters.

Sally also seemed very efficient. Her daily writings detailed some of the systemic organization she had put in place. She called her new place of work, 'The House' and although it was run by her company, it seemed somehow separate and owned by Sally. Maree figured it was just the attitude of a woman who greatly enjoyed her job and, in turn, was possessed by it.

The diary went on, the daily account of ordering things for the House, hiring employees and running some kind of drills. Sally seemed responsible for everything: safety, furnishings, medical supplies, personnel, even the food. Nothing seemed to escape her comment. The entries had settled into almost daily postings about things that were becoming predictable and Maree was getting a bit bored with it all.

_Come on, buy a boat! Oh, yea, it's the desert. Well then, get a boyfriend, do something INTERESTING!_

Maree resorted to skimming through the next few days' worth of entries until she found words that made her brow furrow and her eyes narrow in disbelief. Backing up, she reread through the days that she had rushed until she returned to the amazingly matter-of-fact entry –

'Aliens are finally coming tomorrow. I am going to meet them and I am not afraid.'

_What the hell? _The image of a woman crazed by overwork swam through Maree's mind. _Did she actually believe this? How many days worth of writing will there be until they haul her away? I mean, everyone knows we made contact with other intelligent life. But it happened just before I was born, and they were never Here. They never came to Earth! And…and how could Sally have written about something so profound…so calmly? _

"Oh, me? Well, yesterday I hired and trained two new employees, then went to the grocery store on the way home. Today, I tried my new lipstick and tomorrow, I'm greeting aliens." Maree gave a mocking voice to the ridiculousness of the situation.

Over two hours had passed, and Maree was completely absorbed in the hand-written book when the sound of the garage door rolling up alerted her to the return of the car. She reluctantly stopped reading and, after carefully placing the book on the ottoman, went to the kitchen to greet her mother and David.

"Hey Mom," she smiled, "Need some help with all that?"

"Sure honey," her mother struggled through the door with her arms full of bags of groceries. Maree hurried to take some of the load and sat it on the counter top. David came into the kitchen lugging the last of the day's shopping.

"I think we bought the store out," he joked. They all worked together to put everything away, meat and fresh produce to the refrigerator, canned and boxed goods to the pantry along with the reusable shopping bags that were hung from a hook.

Maree helped to secure the week's food and waited for just the right opportunity to tell about her delivery. It was going to have to be soon as everything had been put away and David was beginning to start supper. He was an excellent cook and enjoyed preparing food for the family. Her mother was pouring herself a glass of wine and just about ready to head for the office corner of the living room with the day's mail in hand. To heck with waiting for just the right melodramatic moment, it was now or let her mom walk in on the still open trunk.

"Uh, I had a surprise today," Maree announced, teasingly.

"Well, share with us," David put down his chef's knife and looked at her with anticipation. That was something she really liked about him. Whatever you were talking about, he really listened. He actually stopped whatever he was doing, looked you in the eye and listened to your words. Her mother, on the other hand, continued sipping wine and shuffling through the mail in her hand whenever she placed the glass back down on the counter.

"Did you hear me, Mom?"

"Sure, I did, honey. I'm waiting for you to tell me what happened." She finally rested the mail and gave her full attention.

"I got a delivery today, just for me, from an attorney in Santa Fe, New Mexico! It was a huge old box and it used to belong to a woman named Sally DeHaven. She left it to me in her will and I'm her youngest living woman relative! Can you believe that? Do you know who she is…was?"

Her mother looked surprised when the name of Sally DeHaven came forth. Her eyes widened and her mouth formed an 'o'.

"So you DO know her Mom! Who is she?" Maree's excitement grew.

"That's great, Maree!" David broke in enthused, "What's in it?"

Ignoring her previous question to her mother, Maree gestured, "Come to the living room and see!"

They followed the girl to the rather moldered trunk where it sat, still wide-jawed, in the middle of the living room. She showed them the diary and the strange lean stone with the hole in it. "May I see that?" She handed the artifact to David, who turned it over in his hand and felt the worked edges with a finger.

"Do you know what it is?" Her hope rose, David was well educated.

"I'm not sure. It's manufactured. But it's not a spear head or knife or scraper – no sharp edges anywhere. The hole is interesting. I wonder if it was meant to be worn?"

"Like a pendant?"

"Maybe, or at the waist."

"That's a super idea! I'm going to use it for a pendant!"

Her mother had been skimming through pages of the diary. "This is…most unusual. Some of it is rather explicit! I'm glad you're in college and didn't get this when you were, oh, sixteen!" Her eyes sparkled at her daughter. Maree loved the sparkle in her mother's eyes. She winked at her, "Well, if you have any questions about what you read, be sure to ask me!"

"Mom!" Maree was turning a little pinkish now. She and her mother were very open about life to each other, but Maree was also very private. To hear her mom joke about sex in front of David was a little uncomfortable.

"So who was she, Mom?"

"I heard about her from your Dad's grandmother a long time ago." She sat down on the sofa and David sat beside her. Maree squatted on the ottoman, her chin resting in her scruffed up palms as her elbows poked into her knees. Her mother went on, "Sally was your father's grandmother's great aunt. So you go ahead and figure out what that makes her to you! Anyway, the story goes that Sally was some kind of businesswoman in the health field. Not a nurse or a doctor, but some kind of business person. She ran a huge complex that was built out in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico. It was all hush-hush top secret. She simply disappeared one day. No one knows what happened. A body was never found, she left no note or call to anyone and nobody ever saw her or heard about her again. That is until this showed up for you today! Your father's grandmother thought that Sally went crazy and was institutionalized somewhere and that the family made up the disappearance thing to save face."

"Wow!" Maree replied. "We have a real character, a person of intrigue in our own boring family!" Her mother raised an eyebrow at the word, 'boring', but settled herself with another sip of wine.

"Was there any explanation with the trunk?" David wondered.

"Oh, yes! I nearly forgot!" She handed the letter to David who read it quickly and passed it on to her mom. Her mother read it and then read it again.

"Well that's interesting! I wonder who this Rosa lady is and how she was connected to Sally? Looks like you have a real mystery on your hands, young lady! What do you want to do with the trunk?"

"It'd be interesting to have in my room, but it smells bad."

"Let me see if I can clean it up," offered David.

"You're the best!" Maree chimed at him.

"I know," he winked. Her mother rolled her eyes but ran a hand over his, giving him a meaningful look.

"Do you guys mind if I read until dinner?" Maree asked, hoping David didn't need her to help with anything. He didn't and she tore up the stairs, book in hand, to land on her bed and find her place.

She read until dinner and then joined the family at the table. It was one of David's specialties, pasta Primavera. She usually relished the spaghetti lovingly dressed with green vegetables and Parmesan with warm crusty white bread on the side. This evening, she inhaled her food, barely tasting it, anxious to return to reading.

"A good read, eh?" Her mother remarked, sort of suppressing a grin. "I just browsed, but parts of it looked pretty racy to me! And with pictures, too! But such muscular men! Looked to me like she had good taste!"

"Mom! You are embarrassing me." Maree tried to maintain her dignity. Her mother, although she knew that her daughter was no prude, also knew of her limited experience and her preference for guys who were athletic and fit. Still, it wasn't like they were having dinner alone.

"Sorry, honey. You know when you're done with it, if you don't mind I'd like to give it a read."

"Uh, sure Mom." Maree excused herself and dashed back up the stairs. Re-fluffing her prop of pillows on the bed, she again assumed the position, found where she'd left off and continued. She read on and on, only occasionally shaking her head or pursing her lips in disbelief. She looked at the pictures and returned to the words again and again.

Sally was indeed prepared to meet aliens. In fact, the entire place was prepared just for aliens! It was some kind of health facility. Maybe a spa? Maree wondered. Sally's writings had been for herself, so there were no explanations to Maree's questions. She would simply have to read on and try to figure it out. The place certainly seemed luxurious. There were a few descriptions of palatial sized rooms, marble, leather, even fur blankets! It had to be some sort of spa or retreat, she concluded.

As the boss of the place, it seemed that it was Sally's duty to meet any incoming guests. An alien ship landed with the first visitors to the House and she had greeted them with all diplomacy. Only one had stayed though, which puzzled Maree. It was the oldest alien. Maybe he needed some rest, health food and massage, she speculated. Sally had gone on to write despairingly about forgetting to invite the rest of the aliens for some hospitality.

_Aunt Sally, I'm sure you were shaking in your boots at meeting these creatures. I don't know what they looked like, yet, but you did refer to them as tall. Don't be so hard on yourself!_

Finally, it was late and the words began to run together in her vision. She placed the book on her nightstand and got ready for bed. "Sally, you were either the most amazing woman in the history of Earth or you were a totally bat-shit lady! And to think I'm your great-grand-something-or-other!" After some tossing, Maree finally slept fitfully with scattered dreams of a woman who lived long-ago, if the diary could be trusted, and had done something unbelievable.

She overslept the next morning which caused no great alarm. It was summer break between classes, and she was free, only earning a little money helping a friend out in her antiques shop in town on the weekends. _Weekends! _She yawned and stretched, blinking her eyes in the light peeking through her curtained windows.

_Sally! _She remembered yesterday's delivery and the odd diary that she had begun reading. It was tempting to grab the book and try to sneak in a few words before going to work, but Maree knew better. Once she started reading, time would cease to exist and she would be late and disappoint the friend who employed her. _Sally, you'll just have to wait._

Up in a flash after blearily reading the time, she showered, dressed and ran fingers through the layered, twining curls that formed her mane. With no time for breakfast, she was out the door with a travel mug in hand before she bothered to notice that she had a few sore muscles from trunk wrestling the day before. A solid plunk of her bottom onto the driver's seat was met with a painful reminder of her fall. Placing the travel mug into its holder, she examined her palms and found them not red at all, only a little sore.

_My butt will heal. Did Sally have an ample behind? Who knows, she doesn't describe herself._

The ancient Chevy started up and was carefully turned and nosed down the bumpy drive. Maree knew that it never paid to hurry this part of the trip as the driveway chuck holes would bounce you into the car top if you weren't careful! Equally carefully, she drove the short distance to the downtown area of the little burg, and parked just off the service alley behind the shop. Trying to pick her way through the mud of the makeshift parking lot, she worried about how much mud the crevices of her walkers were picking up to subsequently deposit on the shop's floors. She always felt terrible if she forgot to take off her shoes and bang the mud out of them before tracking into her friend's store. Sometimes she'd even had to rinse the bottoms off in the bathroom sink before replacing them on her socked feet. Her friend thought such shenanigans ridiculous and pointed out that the dried shoe crevice leavings were easily swept up. _Thanks, Mom, for instilling fear of floor filth in my very being!_

Maree quickly opened the little store, turning down the air-conditioning, turning on all the lights and unlocking the front door. It was just ten-o'clock and few customers were walking the pavement outside. She went back to the long counter that held the cash register and looked for any notes or instructions from her friend. There was one with a corner secured beneath the square crystal dish that was used to hold the store's business card. It read, 'Morning! There are boxes with some fabulous new stuff in the back. Would you mind redressing the window? Please? I know how you hate it! Love, Jen'

Maree laughed. Jennifer knew how much she loved redoing the window, and with new stuff at that! She hurried to the back and found a stack of boxes neatly loaded on a flat cart. Pulling it to the front, so she could keep an eye out for customers, she began cutting the boxes open and carefully unpacking them. Her friend frequented estate sales and auctions and had a knack for getting interesting and beautiful things at good prices. They had a bargain that in the future, when Maree had her own home, Jen would take her along and get the very best deals for her.

_Things that have been used and loved and have personality!" _sang inside Maree as she lovingly unwrapped the past from its tissue and newspaper. She unwrapped six delicately stemmed wineglasses, uncounted colorful pottery mugs, an appealing but scrawny Christmas tree fashioned of paper wrapped wire branches and light green feathers, three round wooden pantry boxes, a primitive cloth cat doll along with its piglet friend and a bevy of embroidered textiles. _Nice haul, Jen! The tree's not quite my style though. I'll put it over with the rest of the Christmas crap. _Maree smiled inside. Her friend always cringed when she called the lovely display of holiday ornaments and trimmings, "Christmas crap".

She proceeded to clear out the existing window display, placing the items back in appropriate places, before she started to address the new artful scene. Her work was interrupted by the chime that meant someone had entered. She looked up to see one of the shop's regulars coming in. "Morning, Mrs. Culbert!" she called.

Mrs. Culbert looked around sharply through the glasses she balanced halfway down her thin nose, "Ah, there you are! A good morning to you!"

"Can I help you find anything?" Maree asked politely, already knowing the answer.

"Oh no. Just looking."

"Maree turned back to her window; _I bet she knows the contents of this store better than I do! I've got about fifteen minutes before she asks a question. _She unfolded a tablecloth and arranged some place settings on the small cottage table using the stemmed goblets. Some of the new embroidered linens were eye-catching and a low arrangement of silk roses stuck inside a trio of the pottery mugs complemented it all. She was completing her work laying out small gatherings of things here and there when, right on time, Mrs. Culbert approached her.

"Dear, can you help me with this?"

"Sure!" Maree climbed down out of the window and set to assisting her customer. About half an hour later, a satisfied Mrs. Culbert left the shop, laden paper bags in hand and Marie was able to complete the storefront display. The rest of the day went quickly, with quite a few customers. It was always busier in the summer. The cash register tablet accounted for much more than it had begun the day with and a satisfied Maree was tidying up when the last customer of the day set off the chime. A dark-haired young man with greasy hair entered and looked around.

"May I help you, Sir?"

He approached the counter that Maree was behind and looked nervously at her. He carried a sack and set it on the countertop. "Yes. I inherited this and wondered if I could sell it to you."

"Oh, I'm not the owner, Sir, and she's the one who buys. But let me take a look and I can probably tell you if she'd be interested," Maree said, knowingly.

He spilled the sack contents out on to the counter – a little pile of tangled necklaces, a bracelet and some earrings. "I dunno what any of this is worth, but it's old. She was old, my grandma, when she died."

"I'm sorry for your loss," Maree countered. "May I handle this?"

"Sure," he shifted around, still uncomfortable. She wondered if he had to go to the bathroom or something. Then she saw that his eyes were filled with tears. It broke her heart.

"This looks really interesting. This is a real cameo and these are real pearls," she felt their smoothness. "I think that the owner would make you an offer. Can you come back Tuesday?"

His face fell, "I was hoping to sell them today. I…I need the money."

"Well, I'm so sorry she's not here. How about if I call her? Maybe she can make arrangements to meet with you another time this weekend. Do you have identification?"

"Okay. Please do that. I can come back this evening, or tomorrow." The man held up his arm and placed his wrist band on the identification machine. His face, name, address and everything else about him popped up on the counter viewer.

Maree dialed her friend and soon her face appeared, "Hey, Maree! Any problems?"

"No. There is a young man here with valid id…" She explained the situation and then showed the jewelry to her via the phone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Jenn explained through Maree's wrist that was held up before the young man's eyes. "Cameos and pearls aren't very popular right now. I suggest that you go to the jeweler down the street. He might be able to buy them from you. Or you could try a pawn shop."

"Thanks anyway." The man looked downcast.

"Well, we tried," Maree said, apologetically. "Tell you what - I need a good chain to hang a pendant from. I'd buy the thicker chain from you. What do you want for it?"

They haggled for a few minutes and finally settled on a price. After pressing the back of his wrist to hers, money was transferred. The man left the shop with a little smile playing on his unhealthful features and Maree was pleased to have a chain for her stone pendant as well as to have helped the seemingly needy stranger. She locked up, turned off the lights and hurried home to dive back into Sally's record.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Stone of Darkness

The ancient cotton quilt, scrapped together from squares of worn-out clothing, presented a platform of floral squares and triangles under Maree's sun-browned bare feet. The machine stitching had been over-sewn by hand with thick pink embroidery thread to make long bird's foot stitches. Here and there the fabric had grown thin and a few threads had pulled lose, but Maree refused to part with the beloved coverlet which was her first discovery at the antique shop several years ago.

Propped up on a stack of pillows, using her bent knees as a dias, she was immersed in the diary. So much so that she was not even aware of turning the pages or of gnawing on her right thumbnail.

'The first Ancient is here and after some unforeseen difficulties during the night I have rearranged staffing and all seems to be under control. He seems docile enough and, as has been explained to me, he is very forgetful. Supposedly he is weak and fragile by the alien's standards and now that I have met some of the younger aliens I can understand that better.

The aliens, or Yautja as they call themselves, are overwhelming. So big, so tall, so dreadfully muscular! Will I ever be able to reconcile myself to their faces? It is difficult not to stare at them when they are unmasked. I dare not be rude! But I do steal glances whenever I can. I suppose they think my face is as odd I as find theirs.'

In the margin of the page, Sally had apparently tried to draw one of their faces. Maree squinted at the massive lumpy head that was bald on top but fringed on the back and sides with long ropey strands or tentacles or something. The brow was bold and hung over the eyes which were the only human looking thing there. The face smoothed down with no evident nose and then formed…something. It looked like Sally had run into difficulty trying to get this part right. The ink scribbled around and made sort of hot dog like thick lips that were separated in the middle and turned at right angles toward the mouth to end in points.

_Fangs? They all had thick hair-lips with fangs on the ends? _

Maree tried to recall the history of Earth's interaction with aliens from her Social Studies class. She hadn't been interested in the subject and had glossed over most of the assignments, still managing to pass with an average grade. She grabbed her tablet from the cubby at the head of the bed and began to scan the lists of her old school texts. Finding the one she was searching for, she pulled it up and entered the topic 'alien photographs' and there they were.

From her lips came a soft, "ooooooooohhhhhh". The picture was of two men standing on either side of an immense Yautja Hunter. He was masked, but she could still see the bulges of his arms and thighs and the chiseled torso that boasted a brace of white skulls. Her eyes roved down to the cloth dangling below the metal codpiece and then went back up to the unmistakable bulge in the armor. She studied it for a time, digesting the Hunter's appearance and intermingling it with what she'd read in the diary and her mother's comments after scanning it. Then she keyed in, 'Yautja unmasked'. A great face immediately jumped onto the screen and nearly made her start. Recovering quickly, she traced the strangeness with a finger.

"Geeze," she muttered to herself, "that is beyond homely. Aunt Sally what did you get yourself into? And you weren't afraid? Not sure I believe that."

The diary went on and Maree was too engrossed to even join her mom and David for dinner. "I'll catch a bite later if I'm hungry" she had answered her mom's announcement that the meal was ready. David and Mom both shook their heads and laughed – used to Maree's immersion technique when reading something that really intrigued her. "There's a covered plate for you in the fridge," her mom had called out later, but the girl never heard it.

She was up to her eyeballs in Sally's description of Captain Ulfr.

'The air around him seems to sizzle in response to his imposing posture of command. All the crew jump at his orders and he simply acts as though he expects to be obeyed. I even find myself looking to him for what to do next at times. I find him quite charismatic and suspect that to the females of his kind – he is most handsome.'

Another Ancient had been delivered to the House and Sally went on again about its operations. Here Maree skimmed a bit again to get back to the alien encounter. She slowed down when Sally's neat loops took on a haywired effect.

'I am so angry! I'm actually shaking as I writing this! Ulfr left one of his crew here, his little brother, without asking my permission! He slept in the Hospitality Room all night and then frightened the hell out of poor Rosa, our best housekeeper and my friend! Damn it! He may be captain of his ship but around here I'm in charge!'

_Rosa! This trunk was in the possession of a Rosa, but it couldn't be her! She'd be long dead by now. Maybe she had a daughter or a niece that was named after her? Or maybe it's some other Rosa. Geez, Sally. I wouldn't want you mad at me! I can feel the heat of your words as I read them. It's getting late, but I can't put this down!_

Maree learned that the uninvited overnight guest was named Sigdan. Sally explained that there was a sort of click sound in the middle of his name. He wanted to use the House laboratory for some sort of research and she let him. Apparently it didn't go so well with the people already working there.

Sally started meeting Sigdan at the gym for workouts at the end of the day. She did yoga and the alien did some kind of warm-up and apparently some kind of martial arts. They did demonstrations for each other.

'It is critical that I establish a good relationship, even a friendship, with Sigdan. I have to convince them to bring more than one Ancient at a time. Our costs are going sky high at an unanticipated rate and bringing in more paying residents is our only option to make this quarter's figures. Damn corporate! I have a feeling the Yautja are far more intelligent and possess more integrity than the company believes. The Hunters place so much value on their principles and their sense of honor. What would happen if they ever felt that we had offended them? Or their ethics?'

It was quite late now and several hours past Maree's normal bed time. She had been struggling to stay awake by blinking her eyes but realized that she'd read the same paragraph twice now. _Okay, sleep. You win. _Placing her bookmark, she closed the diary and then placed it in the cube alongside her tablet. Too tired to pull back the quilt, she dimmed the light and quickly fell fast asleep still in her shorts and tee shirt. The room stilled except for the light rhythmic sound of breathing.

Soon, a fluffy brownish-gray striped cat crept into the room. He sat down and observed his sleeping mistress for a time. Finally, he gracefully jumped up onto the bed in a single ease of motion, landing lightly near her feet. Carefully, he turned his body and lay down, a soft ridge of breathing fur. After snuggling his face beneath the tip of his outstanding fluff-tail, he closed his eyes and joined Maree in sleep.

As she fell into deeper sleep, strange dreams came to her. There was a tall woman standing before an immense alien who was seated in a great carved chair. He leaned forward to embrace the woman and suddenly pulled her to stand between his knees. Then he gently placed huge hands on each side of her face. They were both locked into each other's gaze, seemingly enraptured by what they found there. Unseen, Maree watched them. Her heart began to pound as she witnessed the scene and felt the tingle of electricity circuiting between them.

Then suddenly she was in a large dark space. Looking around she tried to see through the gloom. There, across a bare rock floor she saw what looked like giant pillars of rounded stone blocks. Suddenly a blazing bright beam of light cut through the inkiness and shone upon two statues in the middle of the room. Gingerly walking up to them, Marree saw that one was a great white figure of a Yautja seated as if upon a throne. She realized from its twin breasts that it was the female of their kind. A queen perhaps? The other statue had toppled over to the floor. It was as black as the other was white and Maree took in the visage of a huge god-like Hunter in the act of kneeling. Then the scene faded away.

Small shivers tremored through the sleeping girl's body just as the pendant that she wore began to flicker with a faint light. The flicker turned to a steady glow while the natural darkness in the corner of the room seemed to gather and shape itself into the form of a column. The slumbering cat raised its head and stared into the dark corner. Slowly the feline eased to its feet, its back assuming an arch. A long low growl trembled from its throat followed by a hiss. The ebony obelisk stood still and watched for a few moments until the cat seemed to relax a bit. The room was barely disturbed when a deep rough whisper floated on the air, "There it is. How have you come to have my stone, young pup? Very well. You may find its possession not to your liking."

The dark shape faded, and then thinned into nothingness. The pendant's light died down and Maree stopped shivering. Fussing, she turned on her side as the cat nimbly jumped over her legs. Maree slept on. Gradually, the fur on the cat's back relaxed and he curled back up to sleep, keeping one eye open for a while as he surveyed the suspect corner.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: Be Careful What You Wish For**

The sunshine broke through the window and cast awakening rays on Maree's closed eyes. Groaning with the realization that it was morning, she turned to her other side, keeping her eyes shut tight. _I feel like I didn't sleep at all last night. Such bizarre dreams! _

Scraps of vivid images were pulled back into her consciousness. She dawdled over each one, reliving it in detail – the excitement, the awe, the mystery of it all. Suddenly an idea broke into her mind. _I wish I could write about this! This is a story worth telling. I could write about Sally's adventures. Make a real drama out of it in my own words. My dream of being a writer could begin here!_

Excitement grew within her as the idea took form. She had wanted to be a writer for some time now and had been searching for something different to say – something that would strike the readers' imagination and reel in their hearts. This was it! Nothing in her life's experience could hold a candle to what she had been reading. Sally's diary was chock full of ideas that begged to be expanded into the chapters of a novel.

Her forehead grew wrinkles as she frowned. _Who'd be the audience for such a book? Where could I get it published?_

Interest in aliens had waned as all Earth's resources and talent and turned to continuing the flow of goods needed for basic life in the face of massive global warming. Stations were built to harvest fresh water from the vast rock-bound reservoirs four hundred miles beneath the surface. Water-recycling had also formed a giant industry where gray water was returned to households fresh and pure for reuse.

Towns like the one where Maree lived were now under protective dome shields that kept the weather tolerable and even provided a weekly rain. But with the still increasing temperatures, home builders had recently turned to creating new neighborhoods underground where families were protected from both the searing heat and upturn in solar radiation. Huge force-fields had been build that shielded genetically-engineered for heat-tolerance crops from the extreme environment and allowed food production to continue. Looking to the future, experiments with growing food sources underground were already underway.

Maree's initial enthusiasm waned as she considered the practicalities of getting published. Was there still any audience for this sort of thing? It would definitely require some research she decided. Pulling on some light cotton shorts and a tee, she headed for the kitchen and some breakfast. Her stomach was complaining about not having had a meal the evening before and was making its displeasure known through audible growls.

After unwrapping an amaranth seed bar, she poured a glass of orange juice and then turned to scan the kitchen counter. A text was flashing on the house com embedded in the counter top. It read, 'Out with David for the day. Going to the open air market and then who knows? Let me know if you need anything. Love, Mom.'

Maree smiled at the note. She was happy that her mother had David in her life. They seemed very fitting for each other with many of the same interests and just enough difference to keep things interesting. A great improvement over the relationship with her father, she realized.

She had many fond memories of times spent with her mom and dad but as time had passed so had their closeness. Her father seemed to spend more and more time at work and had less and less time for either of them. True, he made a great amount of money and provided well for them. But he didn't seem to understand that it wasn't things they wanted – it was him. In the end he became very distant and she wasn't surprised when her parents divorced. She still spoke with or saw her father from time to time, but they were not close.

Finishing the last crumb of the bar, Maree head back to her room to do some research. If there existed any forum for her to publish the story she had in mind, she was determined to find it. Settling back down on her bed, she grabbed the tablet and began to hunt.

Nearly three hours later, her eyes were tired and she was discouraged. Yes, there were many sites for writers to publish original works for the public. But the genre's never seemed to fit. If she had been writing a book about How to Avoid Excessive Radiation or One Hundred Ways to Fix Amaranth she would have found a large audience. The science genre was interested in things like the Dummy's Guide to Unified Theory or The Effects of Faster-Than-Light Travel. The Fantasy or Science Fiction categorys seemed ideal to her, but most people seemed to have given up on reading about fantasy or science fiction. _I guess real life has become so interesting that people just want to learn about it and not use their imaginations anymore. Nobody seems to care about the aliens that once visited us and could be out there still. Nobody seems to care about what impact they had on our culture or we had on theirs. _

Maree took a break to shower and scrub her teeth. Feeling refreshed, she resumed her search through the immense lists of URLs for publishing that were available when, finally, something sparked her eye. _Fan Fiction. A place to publish original fictional writings about existing or original characters. _Quickly she began browsing the many categories.

And there it was – fictional stories about the aliens that had visited Earth. There had originally been many people caught up in romantic ideas about the Yautja. Books had been written and movies had been made about their hunts for humans as well as their horrific adulthood rituals. For a time, the Yautja had captured human females for mates, but that terrifying era had not lasted long. It sparked a huge number of Predator, for that was what humans first called them, fan stories that explored relationships and even romance between the species.

Maree dived into the long forgotten texts and read until she thought her eyes would fall out. She read everything – completed stories, unfinished stories, stories based on the books and movies as well as those completely made up. After consuming the first ten, she became pickier. Some of the plots seemed repetitious and some of them simply did not interest her. However, quite a few tales completely captured her mind. Well written, they made her feel like she was really there, experiencing events with the characters. _Wow, if I could write even half as good as some of these people did – I'd be thrilled! Could I? Would I dare? It would be so scary to publish something and have people not like it – even cut it down. All the authors here use pen names. If there were only still an audience for this – then I could try writing and see their reaction to it. And best of all – if they didn't like it – well, no none would know it was me!_

Just then, she heard the voice of her mother and David. Reluctantly, she left her room to greet them, only dimly realizing that she had read through the entire day. She helped David fix the evening meal while her mother set the table.

"So, Maree, what did you do all day," David asked, dicing fresh tomatoes for the salad.

Maree was grinding spices with the primitive mortar and pestle she had acquired for David for a Christmas present last year. The scent of mustard seed, cumin and coriander bathed her nostrils and wet her appetite for the Chicken Biryani that David would prepare. "I did some research today." She didn't explain more waiting to see if anyone would ask.

"On what?" her mother piped in, retrieving cloth napkins from a drawer.

"Um, Sally's diary got me interested in the aliens."

"Oh, I'm sure there's a great deal of press about them back in the day!" David enthused. "They were quite the thing for awhile. I studied them in college."

"Don't you think it's strange they just went away?" Marie inquired.

"Relieved is a better word," her mother replied. "At least we don't have to worry about anymore women being abducted or men being hunted!"

"I didn't know you'd studied them," David looked curiously at Maree's mother.

"Not much, just the mandatory history stuff," she answered.

"Well, it seems strange to me," Maree confirmed. "Why would they just leave? And what happened to all the women they took? I mean, I know that many were allowed to come back here, but not all did. What happened to them? And what happened to Sally?"

"Maybe the diary will have answers," David replied. "Have you finished it?"

"No, but I will! Just got distracted by doing some research today."

"Research is good," he intoned.

"Well…I have an idea. But I don't know if it's a good one."

David stopped cooking and turned to regard her. "Well share, kiddo!" His warmest smile encouraged Maree. To her surprise, her mother joined him. "Yes, dear, what's your idea? I'm sure it's a good one."

"Well, you know how much I want to be a writer, right?" They nodded. "Well, I was thinking about turning Sally's diary into a story – a book."

"So you want to get published, do you?" David's encouragement was tempered by her mother's reality check.

"It's an interesting idea. But is there an audience for it? It takes a lot of work to get published you know."

"Yea, I know. No, I don't know if anyone would read it – that's part of my research."

David chimed in, "Doing research is an excellent start, Maree!" Her mother nodded in agreement.

Dinner proceeded normally with Mom and David making jokes and small talk about their day. Maree's brain was still churning with her idea of writing and the support David and her mother had given her. She hadn't told them about the Fanfiction site. If she could show them success there, then perhaps she could truly become a writer.

Her mother's voice brought her back to the dinner table. "Maree, you've hardly eaten anything. Aren't you hungry?"

"I am!" she dug her fork into the tender chicken and then pushed a hearty morsel into her mouth. "This is delicious!" she beamed at David through the chews.

"Glad you enjoy it!"

Maree focused on finished her food and then helped to clean the table and kitchen. She declined the invitation to watch the evening news and dashed back to her room instead.

Everything was just as she had left it. Maree rushed over to her desk and pulled up the text processing app on the console there. She paged back to the beginning of the diary and reread the first entries. _Well that needs spicing up a bit. Or maybe I'll just skip over most of it and begin where she first meets the aliens. Hmmmmmmmmm. _The book was closed softly as Maree closed her eyes and began to daydream. First she made a picture of Sally in her mind – tall, long legs and mousey brown hair worn rather tousled and short. Looking rather like many of the women in Maree's ancestral line, she thought. High cheekbones and green eyes with flecks of brown in them completed her illustration. Not a particularly muscular woman, but not willowy either. _Just average like me._

Then Maree's mental painting went on to give life to the House based upon Sally's penning. White, spacious, made mostly of stone with burley furnishings to stand up to the Hunters' immensity. _Okay, I think I can start this! I'll work on the details of the aliens later as they are encountered. _And with that thought, Maree began keying furiously. The descriptions poured from her fingertips as though dictated by someone else that she could barely keep pace with. The keyboard of lights made no sound. There was on the dull thumping of her short-nailed fingertips striking the letters and symbols of the story. A few times she stopped and reread something and made a few corrections. Other than those times, her hands were in constant motion as they spelled out the windings of her imagination.

For hours she worked, with few pauses. And then she was finished. Her short Chapter One was completed to her satisfaction. Written, edited and corrected. Her heart and mind had been spilled out into the written word and once published could never be retrieved back into the privacy of her internal universe.

Now she had to figure out how to upload it to the Fanfiction site. She registered as a reader/contributor and then clicked on the tab labeled PUBLISH. Aha! There was a button marked UPLOAD. She clicked on it and pointed it to the file where her chapter was stored. To her disappointment and error message returned. The file format could not be read by this old site. Asking for help, she discovered a list of readable formats. Going back to her chapter file, she ran it through a utility app that converted it into a format that the fiction site could recognize. Then she tried to upload again, but, once again, received an error message. Her forehead scrunched as she read the message that told her a story title, genre, outline and other such things must be created first before trying to load a chapter.

"Crap," she mouthed, searching for the place to create her story. _I've not even thought of a title. The House? Alien House? _She could see readers yawning as they looked at her title. Maree finally decided to call her story 'House of the Hunters' and set up the rest of the parameters. She also decided to give it an explicit rating, even though she doubted she could write anything like that. But she'd not read all of the diary yet and her mother had warned her about the content. _I'll deal with that when I come to that part of the story, _her mind announced.

With the anchor of the story description now behind her, she ventured once more to upload her first chapter. It took only a moment after pressing the virtual upload button. Voila! It was now published on the site for anyone to see. _Is there anyone to read it?_

She needed a good distraction right now instead of sitting on pins and needles in her chair waiting for a reader. It was almost ten o'clock. Out in the family room David and Mom would be reading or watching something on the wall screen. Neither interested her. She pulled a chair over to look out her room's single wide window.

The side yard tree's leafy branches screened the night time sky. She opened the window and leaned out, twisting to look up. A few high clouds seemed stationary over the dome top and a bright half-moon shone down. In the gap between the roof and the tree, stars kept their vigil. She watched for a while and wondered which part of the galaxy the Yautja had come from. Was she seeing light from their star even now? Tiny specks of light crossed her view as satellites and space debris orbited above. The crystal-clear dome allowed for excellent night viewing.

Determined not to check the Fanfiction site for any readers until tomorrow, she got ready for bed. Sinking under her quilt, her mind continually filled with ideas for other chapters until she eventually dropped off to sleep.

Maree had left the console on and the screen up that showed reader statistics for her chapter. Hour after hour of the night went by with the screen constantly refreshing and showing nothing new. Then, shortly after midnight, a soft ping sounded as the viewer stat count changed to the number one.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: Seized by the Moment**

The soft strings of a classical guitar strummed from the bedside table, gently lifting Maree to consciousness. Groggily she rolled over, to realize it was the alarm clock and then worked through the fog to remember why she had wanted to get up at this hour on this particular morning. Work? No, it was another week day. Suddenly, the words of yesterday's posted chapter burst into her mind and propelled her to sit straight up in bed. Throwing off the quilt, she scurried to the desk and tried to read the fuzzy display. Rubbing her eyes in hopes of kneading them to focus, she read the screen again, even as a large grin overcame her face.

Her story had readers! According to the stats, five souls had viewed the first chapter! To her unbridled delight, she also saw that there were two reviews. Fumbling the keys to open the first, she read,

'Great to see something new in here. It's been a long, long time. Interesting first chapter, let's see where you go with this.'

_Wonderful! _Her heart swelled with joy. Someone had found her chapter, read it and actually said it was interesting! Excitedly, she opened the second review, eager for more feedback. A single word appeared, gleaming in starkness out at her,

'More!'

_More..more? What does that mean? Guess they wanted to read more. Couldn't they have managed to write at least a few words – geez! What did they like about it? I worked hard on this first chapter and I get a review of one word. But there are two reviews! And five readers!_

Forgetting everything else in the world, she opened the text processing app and immediately began work on the second chapter. It was in this chapter that she would have the Hunters first appear and encounter her heroine, Sally. She would meet the Yautja crew and their overwhelming captain. This chapter had to be detailed and it had to be just right! Maree wrote with the intensity of someone who is about to burst with something to say, and as she did the screen chimed again. She switched over to the site's statistics screen and saw that three more people had read her chapter and noted sadly that there were no more reviews. _I'll make this chapter even better, _she vowed to herself as she absentmindedly fiddled with the stone around her neck. Its cool smoothness felt comforting somehow although she thought it odd that it never seemed to take on her body temperature. She regarded it now as sort of a talisman for her writing. _I will wear it constantly until this story is finished!_

She tapped the keys on the tabletop in earnest. Then read the newly minted paragraphs, deleted a few words, and wrote more. She went on in this fashion, writing, reading and editing the new chapter, stopping now and then to consult the diary, until she was interrupted by a knock on her door. "Come in," she hollered automatically, with her nose quite buried in Sally's tome.

"And a good morning to you, young lady!" her mother replied cheerfully. "Still entranced by that diary I see. How's the research coming?"

"Uh, I'm still working on it," Maree answered, casually closing the Fanfic screen. "There are quite a few sites where you can publish your work. Uh, I want to find the best one."

"Of course you do! Say, are you hungry? David and I thought we'd go out for breakfast. Care to join us?"

Maree was torn. It wasn't often that they enjoyed dining out as a threesome. "Where are you going?" she asked.

"Well, only to your favorite place, The Pancake House!"

A stack of three fluffy pancakes topped with the best artificial syrup she had ever tasted immediately danced over Maree's taste buds. Wouldn't she write better on a full and happy stomach?

"Sure! I'd love to go!"

"Great, let's try to leave in about fifteen minutes?" Her mother eyed Maree with that once-over scan which the girl knew meant she looked a mess.

"Sure! I'll be ready!"

Even as her mother left the room, Maree dashed into her bathroom to splash her face and run a brush through tangled tresses. _Good enough for breakfast, _she reasoned. Then it was time to pick something to wear. Clean bra and undies from the drawer made their appearance and then Maree rummaged through her closet. _Something casual and comfy. _She finally settled on a pair of tan slacks with a pale blue and tan patterned top. Not her favorite, but she wouldn't cry if she got syrup on them either. Besides, the outfit was a bit loose – great to wear while stuffing your face with pancakes. A pair of woven brown huaraches finished her attire and she bounced into the family room where she was brought up short.

David was there sipping a cup of coffee and watching the news on the wall screen, an unusually grim expression riding his face. Sensing distress, Maree plopped on the sofa beside him and silently watched the wall. He nodded to her and turned back to the news. A breaking bulletin was announcing a large earthquake in the middle of the country that a few hours earlier had shaken citizen's lives. There was little damage; however, the dome over St. Louis now manifested a large crack. Fortunately, it hadn't failed. Repair drones flew and hovered over the damage already working to repair the fractured translucent shield, even as citizens in nearby neighborhoods were evacuated to other parts of the city. It was disturbing news. Everyone knew that their healthy lives depending on the existence of the domes. Without them they would be breathing unfiltered air and also be exposed to greater levels of the sun's radiation. Maree's sober countenance reflected David's as they watched. Soon, Maree's mother joined them and the audience of three viewed the live reports that showcased interviews of the populace who lived directly under the wounded shield. It was entrancing, yet repulsive, to be so close to their fear.

Maree's mother broke the spell, "Frightening isn't it? I'm just so glad that the dome held and nobody was hurt. Are you both ready to leave?"

"Sure," Maree and David answered in tandem. The distressing wall flicked off as they left the house and went out to the car. David tried to distract the group from the troubling images they'd been watching.

"So, Maree, how's the research coming?"

"Oh! Um, yea, the research. Well, there seem to be many good sites that will publish work. Not much has been written about the aliens in a long time though. I'm looking to see if there is an actual readership for that right now."

"Well, that's a smart idea! Good thinking! Have you found anything?"

"Maybe. I'm not sure yet. Still looking into it. So what are you two doing today after breakfast?" Maree sought to direct the subject away from her writing.

"Haven't decided yet," David answered, fully aware of the obvious misdirection. That wasn't like Maree. Although polite, she was usually forthright and direct. He didn't push her but casually mulled about it for a bit as they moved along. Directing the vehicle to their destination took none of his thought. Traffic was light this early in the day. The vehicle steered itself, easily guided by GPS and the sensors that made its A.I. aware of the car's surroundings.

Within a short time they pulled into the restaurant parking lot. It was only half full. "Looks like a good day for breakfast," David grinned. Maree's stomach betrayed her anticipation with a tiny growl.

Inside the Pancake House, they huddled in a booth over the lighted display on the table which showed them the menu, flashing the day's specials and making the mouth water with an endless stream of amber flowing over a steaming mesa of pancakes. It didn't take long to decide and place their order via the same screen. In short order, a hovering drone server approached them. Its main body compartment opened and warm plates of breakfast were delivered by its multiple arms to everyone.

A murmur left Maree's lips as her plate was set down in front of her, "Yummy! She inhaled the aroma of heaven and then deftly used her knife to smooth a butter-flavored spread over her stack, followed by a stream of thick golden 'syrup'. After another appreciative sniff, she dug in. As anticipated, the light fluffy cakes bathed in butter and syrup created nirvana in her mouth. They spread the warmth and bodily joy that only comfort food can deliver from her taste buds down into her very essence. She had pancakes and all was well with the world. Well, all except for St. Louis. She paused to take a swallow of soy milk and nearly winced when she saw her mother drinking orange juice with her pancakes. How someone could combine the ethereal sweetness of pancakes with the tartness of orange juice made no sense to her. David was enjoying a real omelet folded over sweetly sautéed onions, green peppers and soy ham. On the side was a serving of hash browns and a small plate of toast.

"So," he said, after finishing his hearty meal, "what shall we do today?" He looked at Maree's mother who was still savoring her cup of coffee.

"We haven't been to the volunteer center in a while. Probably time to go again. It's our duty, you know."

"Yep, I know. The volunteer center it is then. Wanna join us, Maree?" He gave her his warm smile of encouragement. She was old enough. She knew she should go.

"I, uh, I know that I should," she began, her voice dragging with reluctance. "But I really wanted to stay home and do my research. I'll go with you next time – promise!"

"That okay with you?" David inquired of Maree's mother, whose lifted brows defined her daughter's lack of meeting her expectations.

"Maree, I think you should go today. You are of legal age now, you know it's expected. But it's your decision, so I'll leave it up to you."

Maree felt the dual weights of guilt and deception make a comfortable nest right on top of her pancakes. "Mom, I know that you're right. I should go. But…I'm so caught up in what I'm doing. I honestly don't want to leave it for long. But I will plan for it next time you go. Honest."

Her mother smiled, "You're always honest, honey. And I love you so much for that."

Guilt now turned from a weight into a firebrand that burned into Maree. She had not told her mother or David that she was already writing and publishing. True it was just on a whimsical fiction site, but still.

"Mom, I, uh…I haven't let you and David in on everything I'm doing in my research. And I do want to tell you about it." Her mother leaned forward in true interest while David put his coffee cup down and listened intently.

"I found a very old site called Fanfiction and there is a great deal of writing, lots of stories I mean, about the aliens, the Hunters, on there. The stories are all quite old and no ones added anything new in a long time. But the site isn't archived – it's still active! I thought it might be the ideal place to try out my ideas. You know, before really getting published." She looked down in a bit of embarrassment.

"I think that's a super idea!" exclaimed David, "Don't you dear?"

"It's…well, yes. It's always nice to have a place to try out your ideas. But are you sure there any readers? You said it was very old."

"Yes! I do have readers! Just a few, but I got a couple reviews so far and they are all positive!" Maree's face lit up with excitement. "I meant to tell you but I was a little self conscious I guess. I've already written and posted a chapter. And I can't stop. I'm working on the second chapter now and need to finish it and get it posted too. So that's why I don't want to join you today."

"I can understand your enthusiasm, honey," her mother stated softly. "And I hope that you have many readers and many positive comments. I always want the best for you. But you also have to remember your duty as a citizen. All of us need to volunteer for things to run efficiently."

"I know that, Mom. I'm just…just really into this right now."

Her mother turned to David who had wisely mostly stayed out of this, "What do you think?"

He considered for a moment before answering. "I think that it's wonderful that Maree is pursuing her dream of writing with such an intriguing subject. I'm impressed that she found a place to try out her story and see if there is an audience for it before investing more time and effort. Since she's only just turned legal age, I don't thing the dome will fall in if she misses this volunteer day with us. Maybe she can go another day, soon, all by herself. Could you do that, Maree?"

She nodded her head vigorously. "I could! I could!"

"Then it's settled," her mother stated. "We'll drive you back home and then head on to the Center. And I look forward to hearing more about your chapters and your reviews. I've never heard of this site before."

Back in her room, a pensive Maree pulled up the statistics view again. Had anyone read her story while she was gone? Delighted, she realized that even more readers had discovered her chapter! Adding to her elation, she found another review waiting to be read.

'Don't think anyone has written anything like this before. Keep going!'

Invigorated by the fresh praise, she dived back into writing the second chapter. She was determined to convey the wonder that Sally might have felt at meeting the aliens in the flesh. Her diary spoke of them as '…intently physical. Their presence redefines the image of what it meant to be muscular and fit. In spite of their tallness and bulk they are surprisingly agile – able to move as gracefully as a dancer – as quick and nimble as a cougar stalking its dinner.'

Maree stared at the partial figure sketched in the margin of the diary page. Well-defined musculature bulked out the shape while a definite 'v-line' led down the front of the lower abdomen to disappear beneath the edge of a loin cloth. She found herself in a slight quiver as the beguiling outline titillated her imagination and her fingers sought the smoothness of the talisman. "I want my words to bring them to life," she whispered. "I want my readers to feel as if they are there – experiencing everything as though it was happening to them! That is what makes a great read."

Unseen, the amulet lay just below her throat with her fingers gently caressing its surface. As she whispered, a soft glow slipped from the stone. Maree suddenly felt a bit of warming in her chest and then an unexpected certainty settled. Somehow she knew that her writing would be good and would capture and convey everything she wished for. It was an unexplainable confidence, but it was there and it soothed her.

She clicked in the last few words of the chapter and then went back to reread its entirety. _Wow. This is good – if I say so myself. This IS the feeling of being with them - being overwhelmed by their stature and their…well, just plain maleness. I believe I envy you, Sally. Thanks for writing this diary and for allowing it to come into my hands. How could you know that it would be just the right thing for me? Did you know how it would inspire my writing? _

Maree completed uploading the chapter to the Fanfiction site and added it to her story. Several readers had her updates on alert, so they would immediately be informed that she had brought in a new chapter. Sure enough, within a few minutes, readers were registering in the stats for her latest addition. Maree impatiently drummed her fingers on the desk as she waited for one of the readers to submit a review. As she waited, her fingers slowed, then ceased their staccato and again sought the talisman. "I need reviews," she pleaded to no one. "I need to know if people like my story!" Once again, a small glow emanated from the object and Maree felt warm and comforted.

A small ding alerted her of the new review. _All right! _She mentally exclaimed, thrilled to see another comment submitted. Opening it, she read aloud,

'This is really interesting. Keep going!'

A smile crept over her face as yet another review appeared. Again aloud, she read, "I want a Yautja for my very own. So envious of Sally!"

_She did lead an enviable life, _Maree thought. _And to think she's my relative! Am I anything like her? _

Yet another review advertised its availability. She clicked on it and read,

'This is fantastic! I felt like I was really there. Please update soon!'

_YES! Someone felt like they were inside my story. This is what I've longed and strived for. Yes, I need to write more!_

Ignoring the demands of her body for lunch, water and a bathroom break, Maree began writing her third chapter. As she keyed, a soft light bathed her neck. Not bright enough to capture her attention but anyone else in the room would have thought that some jewel of inborn intensity was shining in the little collarbone depression at the base of her throat.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Tip of the Iceberg **

The day went by in a blur of activity: reading Sally's diary, imagining what the experiences felt like and then keying furiously, followed by re-reading what had been written and editing it. Maree's fingers cramped from the Herculean effort, even as her eyes felt grainy and hurt to blink. Without taking real notice of the discomfort, her mind remained fully engrossed in her task – take the record of Sally's encounter with the aliens and make it real for her readers. She was deep into the scrawled uncertainty her forbearer had written, regarding her awareness of Captain Ulfr's overt masculinity.

'I think he is trying to catch my body odor. I know they have a sense of smell comparable to a dog and can tell a great deal about their surroundings and other Yautja through smell alone. Several times I've witnessed Ulfr, and even some of his crew, opening their mouths and taking in a single quick breath. It's not like they need to catch their breath from exertion or have been surprised or anything – as if anything could surprise them. The only explanation I can come up with is that they are trying to smell things. I remember from Yautja biology class that their organs for smell are located in the roof of the mouth as they have no nostrils or nose. Snakes do that too, but Captain Ulfr doesn't remind me of any snake.

Ulfr. Captain isn't a title they use, but he is all that and much more. What is he like? Intense. Even when he simply enters a room he commands your attention. He's like royalty or something – like nothing I've ever met before. His golden brown eyes take in everything in a single glance and when he looks straight at you it can be uncomfortable. It's like he pierces right to your soul or something. It's difficult to be untruthful or hide things from him. He expects only honesty from his crew and I assume also from me. I don't think I could ever lie to him with those eyes looking at me. They are…they are actually beautiful. It's really the only thing human about him other than his basic body structure. He makes me so self-conscious sometimes but I'm getting a little more comfortable around him and the others with each visit.

He's unfailingly polite to me without any trace of repulsive ass-kissing. There's nothing gross or slimy about him – unlike my boss. Ulfr's always straight-forward and says what he means. At least that's my assessment of him so far. Can't help but wonder what's his assessment of me? I can't read Yautja faces so I don't have a clue – yet.'

Maree laid the book in her lap and closed her eyes. Her imagination worked to paint the huge Hunter against the black curtain of her mental stage. Towering overhead, he looked down at her with ringed locks faintly clicking together. The odd mandibled mouth opened a bit and a shot of air was inhaled. _He's trying to smell me! _Maree thrilled, fascinated yet feeling tiny, as the figure hovered over her. Then she nearly cringed as an arm reached down to her, extending a single talon-tipped finger. She stilled and felt the sharpness touch her cheek then slowly trace a burning line down to her jaw. She realized her eyes had closed and opened them with a start, only to find that his deep-set eyes had captured hers, refusing to let go. There were only his eyes and the suddenly alive skin cells that seemed to vibrate at his touch.

The lethal talon tip kept moving down her vulnerable throat, her jugular vein a visible timekeeper for her heartbeat. A tiny clink sounded as the tip reached her amulet. Unexpectedly, the silence was pierced by a deep, almost growling voice that said, "This stone is not yours. Why do you possess it?"

The unexpected turn of her fantasy jolted Maree from her daydream. _Where the hell did that come from? Wow! That was an amazing picturing of Ulfr! Well, it was…right up until he spoke. It's mine now Ulfr! Sally gave it to me! Was it from you? Did you give it to her? If you did, what did it mean? What meaning was there in giving her a gift?_

The thought that the stone might have been a present to Sally from Ulfr, peaked her interest and she thought for awhile about how to add such a thing to her story. Perhaps in a later chapter, she reasoned. Right now this chapter was ensconced in what had happened in that first meeting. _She was obviously nervous. I admire her so for going face to face with them in spite of her fear. My ancestor took on gi-normous predatory aliens and held her own! Way to go, Sally!_

Maree's thoughts were harshly interrupted by the sound of her mother and David entering the house. She was able to ignore the unexpected intrusion into her creative realm and soon returned to her task.

* * *

The tall slender man accompanied the shorter, stockier woman into the house. The woman looked around, seemingly surprised by something.

"David! It looks like she's not been in the kitchen all day! Maree! Are you in your room?"

She walked through the common living space and paused to knock on the closed door. A muffled voice granted her entrance. What met her eyes as she opened the door brought her up short. Her daughter was hunched over her desk, keying furiously as though driven by demons. Still in the clothing she'd worn to breakfast, her face looked pale and drawn as she pulled in and bit on her lower lip.

"Dear? Are you alright?"

No answer came from the studious girl as she conducted her symphony of words.

"Maree! I'm talking to you!"

A "Huh?" came forth as the bent figure finally looked up to recognize her. "Oh, hi Mom. I'm, uh, busy."

"I can see that, dear. Have you eaten since breakfast?" Her tone lowered into a greater concern and kindness.

"Uh, no. Been busy."

"Well, why don't you come to the kitchen and I'll whip you up something. You look like you could use a break."

"Thanks. No thanks. I…can't leave this right now."

"Are you sure, Maree?" Concern painted her mother's face. She had not seen her daughter so engrossed in something since…since perhaps never.

"Uh, yea. Uh, thanks." The tousled curls never moved to show any more face but remained studiously suspended as Maree kept keying, only slightly slowed by the attempt at conversation with her mother.

"Well, okay, dear. Don't stay up too late."

"K"

Maree's mother left the room, softly closing the door behind her.

"Everything okay?" inquired David, who was catching a bit of wall news before bed.

"Yea, I think so."

Picking up on her distraction, he asked, "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's just that Maree's been working on her writing all day, I guess. She hasn't eaten or even been out of her room that I can tell. I'm just not used to seeing her so absorbed in something."

David chuckled, "Well, it's good to see her using her artistic talents, don't you think? She's creating and absorbed by her creation. Artists are just that way, honey. And I think that your daughter is a genuine artist!"

"I guess so."

"It bothers you?" He turned off the news program and gave her his full attention.

"Yea. And I'm not sure why. I've just never seen her this way before and…it bothers me. I guess I'll get over it." She smiled.

"Well, why don't we both turn in? It was a long day at the volunteer center and I could use some sleep."

* * *

Meanwhile in Maree's room, the chapter that had taken the entire day to write was finished. Maree couldn't think of a single more thing to write or to tweak in the intensely worked chapter. Exhausted, she uploaded and posted it. Not looking to see if there were any new readers or reviews, she fell into bed still dressed for the day and dropped into welcoming sleep.

As she slumbered, the counter for the number of readers grew steadily. It grew at an unprecedented rate as readers texted other readers, friends told friends and more and more people were informed of this wondrous work. And as the readership climbed, so did the reviews. As the story statistics kept on growing, the dedicated and spent author savored her rest even as a famished person savors a fine meal. Her body relaxed and she fell into even deeper levels of sleep. Before long, she was dreaming.

She found herself in a large white structure of great hallways and rooms. By walking around she also found that she was alone. There was no one anywhere. In vain she searched through the expansive building. Finally, in what appeared to be a center courtyard, she sat down on the edge of a beautiful fountain and tried to think her predicament through. What was she doing here? Where was everyone – anyone else?

Suddenly, she was in another vast room. Only this room had circles drawn here and there on the floor in a regular pattern. On one wall there hung an array of strange swords, spears and other weapons. In a flash, it came to her – _this is an arena – a kehrite! Am I in the House? Where is Sally? Where are the Yautja? Ulfr?_

Maree looked down and saw that she was wearing loose but comfortable black pants and a sleeveless top. _How strange. I don't own anything like this_. She looked up from puzzling over her attire and saw a Hunter entering the space. He was stripped of his mask and armor and wore nothing but a simple loin cloth. Immediately, she could tell it was not Ulfr. _Who is this? Am I in danger? _Alarm surged through her body and she rose to meet him.

The Hunter seemed to know her and greeted her in a friendly and familiar way. Then he proceeded to exercise. It was a strange array of movements that combined stretching and other motions in some graceful dance. Maree watched him, entranced with his grace. When he finished, he walked over to the wall and retrieved a spear. Then he began to handle and use the weapon as though fighting the air. Maree was amazed and filled with admiration for his amazing skills. When he had finished, sweat ran from his heavy brow and dripped in front of his eyes, it ran down his burly arms and flowed from under his locks down his very broad front. Maree's eyes took in every bit of him as he moved nearer. Then, he addressed her in a deeply masculine voice. It was not as growly as Ulfr's but it was every bit as low.

"You were impressed?" He looked at her with glowing light brown eyes. Not as piercing as Ulfr's, but so very human that Maree was taken aback.

"Uh, why yes. I was very impressed!" she replied and watched him open his jaws and breathe in. He did this several times and then cocked his head to regard her. Maree flushed in self-consciousness.

"Uh, can you smell me?"

"Sei! Yeeeesss!" was the rather smug reply.

As Maree worked through her dream and the Fanfiction statistics recorded the growing number of readers and reviews, the darkest corner in the room began to waver. As if some other dimension were intruding, the blackness seemed to coalesce and come to life, forming a large figure. This time, the figure was more solid with greater definition. So tall it had to bend a little to keep from hitting the ceiling, the being stepped out of the shadows and went over to Maree's desktop. Glowing eyes stared at the screen for a while, watching the reader count increase as well as the review indicator. With a soft grunt, it whirled with surprising nimbleness and silently glided to the girl's bedside where it bent on a single knee and came near her face.

"You are not unlike your ancestor in certain ways. I honor her presence within you," a low whisper came. So low that anyone else in the room could not have been quite certain they had even heard a voice at all. It was like the muttering of an earthquake or the groan of new mountains as they rise. The whisper reached through Maree's ears and down into the depths of her dreaming sleep. She shivered and tossed a bit beneath her quilt.

"In time, you will return what is mine, fair daughter of the line that spawned Sal'lee. This training is for your benefit, youngling. May you survive and benefit by it."

This time, Maree moaned in her sleep and began to come to full awareness. Even as she did, the immensity that was the ebony figure slid away and faded back into the void from which it came. Maree's eyelids fluttered and then opened.

_Who was here? Someone was here – weren't they? Oh..it was a dream. About the Yautja. Wish I could meet them in person, not just through Sally. Still so tired…_

With those thoughts she rolled over, closed her eyes and relaxed back into rest. She had no idea of how rare sound sleep would be in the days to come.

The rest of the night passed normally and the early morning was ushered in by a chime ringing first softly and then growing louder with each vibration. Maree struggled to awaken. "Yes, alright! I'm coming. Who's calling so early in the morning? This better be important."

She pressed the answer icon on the desktop. A thin female voice trembled, "I'm looking for YautjaQueen9940. Please don't hang up! Is it you?"

The muddle of awakening fled as Maree's eyes grew wide. Someone, a reader, was looking for her. She had asked for her by her Fanfiction site author's name. Who would know that except a reader? How in the world had they tracked her to this number – her private communication code?

"Sorry, you have the wrong code," stated Maree, a bit louder than necessary and punched the disconnect icon. _So much for privacy protection! I've never given any my information out to anyone! Or have I?_

She decided to reread all the replies she'd sent as texts to reviewers and also to those who'd sent her private messages within the Fanfic world. It took over an hour to skim everything old and she found nowhere that she had revealed anything regarding her identity to anyone. The tone sounded that she had a private text and NOT through the Fanfic system. Switching over to her private communique file she was horrified to find several emails from different addresses, each one asking or accusing her of being YautjaQueen9940. How had she been compromised? She deleted them without answering a single one and then blocked their originators from sending anything more. There! That was nipped in the bud.

Fully awake now, she sped back to Fanfiction and was amazed to see two hundred new readers and forty-one reviews! She opened the first and began to read,

'I was amazed when I read this chapter. Not only was it as if I was there, but (you are gonna think I'm crazy) it was like I had a vision of the chapter instead of reading it. I saw Sally and the aliens! Please write more soon!'

Many of the new reviews were similar to this:

'You won't believe me, but I swear as I was reading this I actually SAW Ulfr! Huge doesn't begin to describe him!'

'Good God, Sally's hot for an older lady! It was like I really saw her, like some sort of movie!'

Many of the reviews spoke of seeing the story's scenes and characters and all of them begged for more.

Maree's heart glowed with warmth as she took it all in. _They love my story! I've got to write more for them! I can't let them down! I don't understand all this - what's happening and how. But I have to go on with this story. _

Maree picked up the diary, found her bookmark and dived in. Soon she was up to her neo cortex in events. It seemed that Ulfr and crew had suddenly been called away. For some reason, Ulfr had left the youngest of his team, a fellow called Sig'dan, in Sally's domain with no explanation. The young fellow, who had only recently risen to the rank of Hunter, had spent the night in the hospitality room and had scared several years off the life of the housekeeper who'd found him in there. This part of the narrative jumped off the page to hit Maree in the face for here was a clue. Had she found a likely connection between the trunk she'd received and the diary? She read the sentences regarding the discovery of Sig'dan again. _Yes, it is right here – the housekeeper's name was Rosa._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: The Power of The Word**

"I'm worried, David. Something's not right about Maree." The mother's worried face was in a scrunch.

David finished chewing a bit of toast, before answering. "I've noticed that she's keeping to her room a lot. And missing meals. At first I just assumed it was the excitement of being engrossed in writing her book but, now, I have to agree with you. Something isn't right."

"It's like she's addicted to writing…and to that site! And I'm worried about her health; she looks so pale and, well, far-away. I can't get her to say two words to me!"

"Well, look here," David motioned for her to come to the screen he'd been reading. "There's been some kind of privacy invasion on the net. What's got experts baffled is that it penetrated only into 'an antique website known as Fanfiction.'" David looked meaningfully at her. "They haven't been able to pin down the source, or exactly what was hacked."

"What do you think it means?" her voice wavered. "Maree couldn't be involved – could she?"

"I doubt it. But I don't know for certain. It doesn't make any sense. We haven't been getting any odd calls or texts have we?"

"No. I'll ask Maree if she has. So, what do you think we should do about her?"

"Maybe a day or two away from here would help. Why don't we take a little vacation and go someplace new and exciting. Maybe that will help her gain some perspective."

"It might! Let's start researching some places to go. I bet the most popular are already booked for the next few weeks – the domes can only hold so many at once. But we could choose someplace off the beaten track."

David had already begun selecting query parameters and soon they were both hunched over the screen, sifting through the possibilities.

* * *

Up in her room, Maree had declined breakfast for the fourth day in a row and was busy reading the diary.

'Everything's going to work out. Sigdan being left behind may just be my ticket to having an 'in' with these guys. For some reason he's much more approachable. I think he's pretty bored after his workday so I've invited him to exercise with me. Something physical is what a Hunter can relate to I figure. I'm going to do yoga (need to get back into my practice anyway) and he'll do whatever they do. Maybe we can talk and get to know each other better. Maybe even become friends. Perhaps he can give me some insight into Ulfr.'

The diary's next entry was a complete flip-flop:

'Why do these Hunters have to have such a good sense of smell? I'm pretty sure Sigdan got a whiff of me today and I could have died from embarrassment! Yea, I can put on all the deodorants in the world and take medication, but how do you control your thoughts? It was quite innocent! I was doing an asana and my mind wandered off a bit. I was thinking about how muscular all of them are – quite attractive really if you bag their heads and cut off those damned claws! Sigdan's demeanor changed immediately. It actually felt dangerous and he told me to leave. No, he commanded it. Believe me, when rippling biceps the size of both my thighs put together and two inch claws growl at you to leave – you jump!'

_He smelled her? But this is almost just like my dream! What's going on? How could I have dreamt it before I read about it? Maybe just a coincidence. _

The chime alerted Maree to another review which she read eagerly. She devoured her reviews now as though they were the only food she needed.

'Most amazing thing happened when I read this! I know it must just be my imagination, but I was THERE! It happened to me! Fantastic! Can't wait for more!'

_Nice review, but they're going off the deep end now, _her tired mind thought. She brought up the keyboard and began working on the next chapter. _Hah! She only THOUGHT that was real. This chapter will give her something to be amazed at. Sally's going to send an aroma signal to Sigdan and he's gonna scare the holy hell out of her! _For just a moment, Maree basked in the power she held over this reader, then she went to work, the constant soft glow gracing her throat.

She had stopped reading her emails or checking her texts or answering her phone. In fact, she'd pulled the plug on the constantly ringing phone! The texts and emails were always the same - full of pleas to meet her or for her address or voice contact code. Some of them threatened her for writing such an addictive story that they couldn't get enough of it. People had lost jobs reading her story while at work. People had forgone relationships while waiting for her latest post to appear. People called her number over and over again, trying to speak with her.

She didn't know how much time had passed as the furious keying created all that she had read or dreamed about. As she wrote, it was as if her own memories began to fill the pages. It was becoming difficult to tell where Sally left off and Maree began. Her busy fingers didn't even pause at the knock on her door.

"Maree," her mother's voice came softly. "Do you mind if I come in? There's something I want to talk to you about." When there was no reply, the woman turned the cold knob and took in the room before she entered. Here and there, clothes lay about as they had been discarded from her daughter's body. Empty or partially full glasses sat on her night table, desk and even a window sill. A palpable heaviness was in the air along with the slight stench of someone who'd not showered regularly and had left their dirty clothes lying about.

Shoving down the protests from the Mrs. Clean within, Maree's mother addressed her daughter and came into the room, "Honey, I need your attention." She reached a hand out to caress the uncombed straggles of hair.

"Maree!" she stated more sharply, "Look at me, NOW!" She laid her hand about the girl's shoulder.

"What Mom?" the tired voice sniped at her. "What do you want? I'm busy!"

"David and I have planned a lovely vacation for the three of us! We're going west to Missoula, Montana, dear! We're going to have the best time!"

"Can't go," Maree muttered, returning to her work. Her mother had spotted something though and reached for one of the girl's hands, which was quickly pulled from her attempt at a grasp.

"Leave me alone," whined Maree.

"But your fingers!" her mother gasped, "Let me see your hand, right now, young lady!"

Out of long obedience to her parent, Maree held out her left hand, palm down. "Nothing to see here," she complained.

Her mother took hold and turned the hand over. There, in plain view, she saw that each fingertip was bruised. Some even carried blisters. "Maree! This is just too much! You have to stop this and take a rest! The three of us are going on vacation!" Sudden slyness occurred to her and she tried to bait the girl, "Besides, a nice break could actually help your writing!"

Maree snorted and pulled her hand from her mother's strong grasp, "No! I said! Not going!" She turned back to her keying, steadily ignoring any more complaints or pleas from her mother, who finally left in exasperation, seeking solace in her mate.

* * *

"She refuses to go," she told David. "It's not like we can drag her out of her room and throw her in the car!"

"No, of course not," he replied. "Let's think on it and maybe we can find some way to entice her."

"I doubt it," the woman said. "This has a powerful hold on her. I don't think she'll leave it."

David brightened, "Then maybe what we should do is try to understand it! Let's go out to that site and read her book! Then maybe we can start a conversation by talking about it with her. At least it may help us form a bridge."

"Brilliant!" Maree's mother affirmed. "Do you know where to look?"

"Yea." He keyed something and brought up the Fanfiction site. "Shouldn't be too tough to find. She said it's about the aliens and nothing's been posted there for a long time. I'll see if I can find a subcategory for it and see what's out there that's new." Within just a few moments, David located Maree's tale.

"Why don't we take turn's reading it aloud?" Maree's mom suggested. David nodded and began.

There were no turns taken. From the time David began reading until the last word of the latest published chapter, it was as though a hologram had taken hold of each of them. For David, he experienced every scene, containing a male, as though he were Ulfr, Sig'dan, or Sally's boss. For Maree's mother, she lived the story as though she were Sally. After the final syllable from David's lips had died down, each of them was catapulted back to reality. They sat there, staring at each other.

David was the first to speak, "Did…did you just live that like it was happening?"

Maree's mother shook her head up and down, too amazed and frightened to speak.

"What the hell," he muttered, heading to Maree's room. He knocked once and opened the door, then stood there with wide eyes and an open mouth. Maree was bent to her task, speed keying her words as they came to her. Hanging from her neck, the stone amulet glowed ever so much more brightly than before and up above Maree, a great blackness had taken over a circle in the ceiling. It whirled like a storm cloud yet there was no wind.

Finally getting a grip on himself, David braved, "Maree, will you please come out here?"

She would have ignored him if she'd heard him at all. "Maree!" he now yelled at her and still her attention was on the screen. Now he was really frustrated and somewhat fearful. Heedless of whatever was above her, David stalked into the room. Placing his hands on her shoulders, he gave her a little shake, "Maree! Listen to me!" She gave no response; it was as though he didn't exist! In desperation, he grabbed the back of the chair and dragged it away from the desk and through the doorway, closing his ears to the high-pitched wail she gave off. Getting her out into the hallway, he slammed the door shut and confronted her.

"What in hell are you doing?" she growled, her eyes flashing with danger. She stood from the chair and surrounded him with her anger. Now David felt the cold edge of fear. He had never seen or felt such menace come from her – or from anyone. This was not Maree! Someone or something had taken hold of her. But that wasn't logical at all. He tried to comprehend the situation and think this through but she barked at him with words that made no sense.

"Take me back, right now! Or I'll have security haul your ass out of here!" Her bold voice ordered him as surely as if she were a military officer or some imperial presence.

By this time, her mother had joined them. "What's happened?" she cried. "I'm calling for help!" She headed back to the living area, even as Marie grasped the amulet.

"Stop them! They must not interfere!" As suddenly as she commanded, the great blackness swooped out from the cracks around her door and over the two adults. It swirled around them like a great Anaconda preparing to crush their lives away.

Maree's strong countenance faded and she cried, "Don't hurt them!"

A deep growl was the only response but the blackness pulled away and seeped back into her room. Left behind were two adult figures, still breathing, but completely frozen in time and space. She was about to inspect them closer when the need to get back to her book overwhelmed her. "Hmph!" grunted a satisfied Maree and went back to her tome.

* * *

The next chapter was ready for posting and there was much more of the diary to read. She thumbed to find her place. Yes, here it was, Ulfr had actually admitted his attraction to Sally! Maree couldn't wait to find out what happened next!

But she drifted off as she read. This drama she was caught up in was taking a toll on her -physically, emotionally and mentally. While it was possible to go for a time without food, she needed sleep and as her body was wiser than she was, her head soon nodded and she returned to her dreams even as the dark presence kept watch over her.

She was following a Hunter through a mist. It was an odd mist, she thought, noticing that it only came up to his knees. He led her to a massively carved door and opened it. She was disappointed there was not more time to study the ornate carvins. He ushered her into a room and left her alone with the craggy massive figure of Ulfr at his desk. He was writing something. Looking up from his work, he beckoned to her with one taloned digit. Obediently, she went to him and suddenly found herself standing between the tree trunks of his thighs. His huge hands had cupped her face and turned it up to look at his. _This is the diary, _a far-away thought intruded.

Then they were in another room, maybe the Hospitality room at the House, she decided. He was speaking to her in a very serious manner. "My brother will die if you do not help us," he intoned. "I honor you with this request. It is the only way to help him. I will be there with you, to assist and to protect you."

_What? What is he asking me to do? Ulfr…I…I'll do anything for you. _


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: A Masterful Piece**

"I don't think anybody's home," the nervous girl scuffed the toe of one worn shoe around aimlessly on the front walk as her braver companion pressed the door bell for the fourth time.

"I'm gonna take a peek," the braver girl proclaimed, but not too loudly, "Maybe she's just hiding."

She leaned over the trimmed boxwood and peered through the glass into the living area. After a few moments of watching, she turned and whispered to her friend, "Nope, no sign of life. Let's check around!"

"No way! Do you want to be arrested for trespassing?" the timid one managed to squeak.

"Oh, come on! You are such a mouse! Look around, there's nobody out right now. This block is a ghost town. Who's gonna report us? Besides, I bet she'd love to see some of her fans! Come on!"

Dragging her reluctant friend by the arm, the bold one glanced from side to side again to make certain they were not observed before ducking around the side of the house. A single window allowed them to observe the kitchen.

"Nice place," the mouse noted.

Sneaking around to the back side, yet another window framed a bedroom for the two curious girls. Inside, someone was sitting at a desk.

"Look!" The timid girl said, before ducking down below the sill.

"Do you think it's her?" the other girl asked, boldly standing her ground but keeping her voice low. "Geez! She has her back to us. Don't be such a putz!"

Soon, two pairs of eyes were resting on the window's bottom edge, keeping watch on the figure within.

* * *

Maree had finished the chapter. By her own estimation, it was her masterpiece. At first, she'd not been certain at all that she would be able to write it. In fact, the first draft had been stiff and stilted, not alive and flowing like the rest of her story. _How can I ever put this into my story, _she'd thought in a rare moment of lucidity. _But I have to remain true to Sally's diary and this is what happened. So, somehow, I must write it down! _Her fingers had found the amulet and immediately she'd felt her confidence grow. _I just have to let the ideas settle in my mind for a bit. Then I can relax and just let my imagination take over. It's only my imagination, it'll be okay. And then I can write about it!_

An eerie oddness had been creeping over her as she sat. Suddenly self-conscious, the thought came to her, _someone is watching me! _Spinning the chair around she confronted her bedroom window, directly across from where she sat. _No one is there! I know I saw something! There was a movement, a blur of motion at the bottom. Who's out there?_

Instead of the fear she would have normally felt a twisted knot of anger began in her center, spreading outward as she ran to the back door. Throwing it open, she pounced onto the patio, scanning everywhere. _There! Someone hiding behind the shrubs. _Quickly she strode toward them and began to speak in a loud tone, "Just what do you think you're doing?"

The bolder girl eased out from her hiding place as the other merely poked her head out, still using the shrub as her shield. "I'm sorry, we didn't mean to bother you. We're just looking for someone. Are you YautjaQueen9940?"

"And what if I am?" Maree snarled back, broadcasting threats with her voice. "You have no right to interrupt my work! You are trespassing!"

"So, you ARE her!" the girl said excitedly even as her friend in hiding pulled on her hand urgently.

"Get out of here! I'll have security hunt you down!" Maree roared. She didn't have to ask twice. The girls bolted from the yard and disappeared down the street, the still swaying shrubbery still bearing witness to the intrusion.

About three suburban blocks later, the two girls felt safe enough to stop running. They both bent over, heaving, from the unusual exertion. As soon as she could stand upright, the braver one was pressing away at keys on her latest accessory – a Smartcom. Her friend regarded her with her usual face statement of 'what now?' Understanding the less-than-enthused expression, the bold girl countered, "I'm sharing our find with the fandom! I took a pix of the address and I'm posting it. You'll see! We'll be heroes for this! WE were the ones that figured out who she is!"

* * *

Back at work, Maree stopped to read a few new reviews. They swarmed in like flies now and all spoke of how real the experience of reading her story was. Some likened it to being in a trance or having a vision. Somehow, each person reading her tale was able to take on the role of someone in the chapter and experience it first-hand. _They're having one hell of a time, _she noted, watching with great satisfaction as the visitor count for her latest post rose higher and higher.

The day before she had been astounded in the diary when she came upon Sally's first scattered admission of sexual attraction to Ulfr and then found she couldn't stop reading.

'There is no one to talk with about this, so I must resort to writing in these pages. At first, I felt so intimated by the Hunters! And nervous. I had to remember all my training and how to behave and the formal words of acceptance for each Ancient they brought to the House. And so I did my best and now…I think it started when I noticed that I was feeling safe around them. I mean I sit at that huge dinner table in between Ulfr and his second-in-command Ab'bi and I was just amazed at how safe I felt! Nobody, nothing could ever get past them. I knew they respected me and part of their ritual seating arrangement put them on either side of me as my guards. Those two are the largest, strongest and most respected by the rest of the crew.

Ulfr looks at me. I know he does because I've caught him at it a few times. And of course they all sniff at me in their obvious way. I'm still not sure when it happened to me. I just began thinking more and more about him and looking forward to his visits and being with him. I began to appreciate his company and it felt good when he approved of me. I enjoyed my meetings alone with him and having the others leave. Just me alone with Ulfr. The focus of his complete attention made me nearly dizzy.

And then, I started dreaming about him – both at night and in my day dreams. At night, my dreams began to cross lines that I dared not cross when awake. And so I've had to finally face the fact that I'm attracted to him. He's far more male, in every way possible I imagine, than any man I've ever felt this way about before. I often wondered if he ever thought about me in that way. Well, today I got my answer – he does!

I can still feel the heat of his huge hands on each side of my face – so strong, so tender. He pulled me to his body and I thought I might faint. My heart was pounding and I felt my face grow red with heat. He told me that after this mission he would seek me out – relentlessly!

My God how will I ever sleep tonight? How can I function in my job around him? I am desperately in lust with him, I fear.'

Maree was both shocked and titillated by Sally's admission. It was bordering on a sort of mental not-rightness, she had reasoned. Yet, she had felt the closeness of Ulfr's body in her dreams as well as the intensity of his gaze. Having the full attention of such magnificent masculinity upon you – that was something to pay attention to, and it had certainly not passed Maree's notice. She understood intimately what her ancestor had felt and shivered as she skimmed through the details of several days until an interesting entry caught her attention. It seemed that Ulfr had left Sigan at the house and Sally was quite angry about it. She seemed extremely busy and her next few entries were extremely short. She even skipped several days. Then, a blockbuster reached out to shove Maree's shoulder and challenge both her ideas about Sally and her dedication to writing this story:

'God save me! He wants me to have sex with his brother! And if I don't it will somehow be the end of Sigdan's reputation, career and respectable life. In Yautja terms, Sigdan is a juvenile. Ulfr explained that his brother (Sigdan is is half-brother - more on that later) needs to have a supervised mating with a woman (the only mates available to them anymore since all their females died) or he will go crazy with lust and rape me or one of the House's employees which will ruin his honorable reputation. Ulfr says he'll be there to help and to protect me and basically begged for my help. How could I turn him down?'

Maree had nearly swooned at this. _She's not going through with this! Is she? Two of these Hunters at once? Won't they damage her? How creepy! Perverted! How…how…interesting. Oh… I see, Ulfr will just be watching and helping. Dammit!_

She went on reading the journal:

'I did it. I actually mated with a Yautja. Yea, only one and let me tell you that one is certainly enough. I drank a sedative Ulfr offered me with some reluctance. But I was frightened and that drove me to it. I was worried about what I was being asked to do and if my body could take it without injury. So, I asked Ulfr and he certainly showed me. Without hesitation he dropped his cloth right in front of my face! Oh. My. God. Well-endowed is putting it mildly. Although he's not particularly large considering the massiveness that's the rest of him! I can't believe how bold I was. My face is getting hot now just remembering it. I got a really good look at him and then I pleasured him – orally. Well, I did the best I could, considering I couldn't get that whole head in my mouth with a shoe horn! He really liked it, too. But he stopped before it went very far saying that this time was for his brother.

Sigdan finally showed up and by then I'm really, really relaxed. That drink's more than a sedative! It's also a bit of a muscle relaxer and an aphrodisiac for sure! I was horny as – as I don't know what. It was as though my being totally focused on one goal – getting laid.

Of course, all my neediness was directed towards Ulfr, but Sigdan was amazing! He was very gentle at first and cautious – waiting for direction from Ulfr. I don't have the words to explain all of this!

I was surprised when I came. Usually it takes a while, sometimes a long while. But not that time! Maybe it was the medication, because I was really nervous at first. And I can't believe what happens when they climax! I felt him pulsing inside me – over and over and over. I was so sensitive to his every motion. Sigdan let out this ungodly howl of a growl. Howl isn't a good word for it because it's so low and it shakes the very room. It was a prolonged and profound growl as he jerked inside me. Then he just kinda collapsed. God, I'm getting hot again just remembering it.

All three of us rested there on the bed afterwards, with Ulfr checking on me and making sure I was okay. After some time he and Sigdan exchanged words and then he asked me if I was ready to do it again. AGAIN? I wondered how many times I would be asked. But I wasn't scared anymore. The drugs were powerful and I had Ulfr there with me. I was confident he wouldn't allow me to be harmed – and I was right.

During the second session, Ulfr backed off a little. I guess it was because Sigdan had done so well the first time. Anyway, Sigdan got excited – I was excited too – and he started banging on me pretty hard. Let me tell you that an out-of-control Yautja banging away at you will sober you up pretty fast! In an instant Ulfr's hands were around Sigdan's neck and he was growling at him. Little brother was calmer after that and finished. I just went along for the ride as that whole thing certainly took me down from where I had been headed. Anyway, we rested again and then, after what looked like some confrontation with Ulfr, Sigdan left. In my drugged and horny state I was hoping that Ulfr might take over! To my everlasting disappointment he told me that I'd had enough and we'd get together later. I slept, got cleaned up with help from Ulfr and went home.

Today, I'm glad he stopped Sigdan when he did. My most intimate parts, along with several major muscles, are complaining. And now? I can't wait to do that with Ulfr!'

_I only THOUGHT the other chapters were difficult to write. This will one will top them all! How can I ever capture this? And do I dare post it? _Her sane mind continued for another instant, _and what will people think of me for writing about this? I mean, this will really be over-the-line for some readers – won't it?_

After Maree had thoroughly imbibed this portion of Sally's journal, she faced her fears. With one hand on the stone pendant, she cast her imagination on the waters and spent hours forming the feelings and reactions of her ancestor. She worked on how difficult it was for Sally to admit her attraction to Ulfr and also how exiting it was for her to learn that attraction was mutual. And then there was the unholy shock of having him ask her to mate with his brother, Sigdan! It was nearly more than her famished body would withstand. Finally, after hours of false starts, erasures and edits, the chapter had been completed. With shaking hands she posted it to the internet site even as a horde of fans began to devour her offering.

It had been a painful prolonged process that left her completely exhausted. After posting the chapter, Maree dragged her ragged body to the comfort of her bed and passed out. She had slept all night only to be awaked by the sun's rays hitting her now lined face. Rising to check her story stats, she had become aware of the intruders and chased them off. Now still fatigued, she downed some water to fortify herself for the task ahead and then plunged back into the diary, completely unaware that her yard, her street and surrounding avenues were quickly becoming a parking lot.

A deep chuckle filled the room, "This is an unanticipated twist, for you, descendant of Sal'lee. Will you meet it with her grace? Her sense of honor?" The chuckling went on and became faint as if its emitter were walking away down some long hall. Enmeshed in reading, Maree heard nothing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: The Visitor**

Autos jostled each other for a space near the authoress' house. Like a siren call, the text had gone forth with the address of YautjaQueen9940 and had beckoned a horde of fans that were ravenous for more. Some had parked their vehicles and gathered in murmuring groups at the doors and windows, trying to see if the provider of their addictive pleasure was indeed within. Some were brave enough to try the handles and latches but found all secured. As impatient as already stuffed nestlings screeching for more provided worms, the murmurings turned to mutters even as the tentative tests of how to enter the house grew brasher.

* * *

In the sanctuary of her room, with curtains now drawn against the day, Maree gnawed a nail for sustenance as she devoured her reviews. _They love this! I've really done it! My readers clamor for more, more, more! I can be a writer…no, I AM a writer!_

Even as she basked in self admiration part of her attention was drawn to a distant banging sound which she quickly ignored as unimportant to the task at hand which was to create another chapter. She pulled up a blank page and began to key while the chewed on nail bed spread her ruddy fingerprint around the keys. Oblivious to the pain as she was to her body's calls for food, water and sleep, her burning eyes focused only on the sentences which formed in front of her. Her unwashed hair formed a halo of stringy ringlets around the ashen, gaunt face grown thin now from lack of food. A redness that would soon form pressure sores had started where her bony parts unceasingly connected with the chair. The bruised fingertips had blistered and could not heal from the relentless pounding of the keys.

The repetitive banging became a staccato that quickly surrounded the house as hands and fists began to beat upon doors and windows. The drumming took up its own rhythm which drowned out Maree's keyboard clicking until the sound of breaking glass pierced her concentration and, startled, she looked up in the direction of the noise. _What was that? _Painfully pulling away from the long-sat-in chair she hobbled over to her bedroom door and peeked out. Unknown people were clambering through a broken window in the living area! They were pushing away the dangling shards from the frame with bare hands and pulling themselves up over the sill and onto the carpeted floor. Several had gotten to their feet and were looking around…hungrily. Panic flooded Maree as she slammed her bedroom door shut and locked it. _Who are they? Why? What do they want? _She heard the running feet and then the thunder of fists pounded at her bedroom door. Quickly, she began pulling furniture in front of the door – a nightstand, dresser, anything! Even as she did, the shatter of her room's glass window caused her to jump, wide-eyed in fear.

Like zombies, they busted the glass and streamed into her room, surrounding her with questions, "Are you her? YautaQueen9940? Are you her?"

"Yyyyyeeeessss," she stammered and evaded them in vain as they sought to touch her. Hands reached and found the source while Maree screamed in terror as her arms and shoulders were grasped.

"Write more!" they yelled at her with one voice. "More! More! More! More!" the chant went up, even as they guided her over to her work station and shoved her down in the seat.

"More! More! More! More!"

"I can't think!" Maree screeched back. "How can I write? Get away! All of you! Get away from me!"

But the crowd pressed in on her as even more fans piled in through the window until the room was packed like a bundle of fatwood all tightly tied, awaiting to be fed to the flames. At the bundle's center was Maree - like a hive queen surrounded by her workers who, instead of attending her, demanded that she lay more eggs.

"More! More! More! More!" the chant continued, as the seated Maree had all but disappeared beneath the mass of bodies. Her arms were tightly pressed against her. She could not even attempt to reach her keys, her communication system – anything. Slowly, as the chant continued and the mindless mass grew, Maree was being suffocated. She managed to slide her forearm over her lap to her middle and began to try and bring it up her chest, even as the grasping hands that held her resisted the ride. They would not release her as she struggled to touch the amulet. Panic now cleared a larger space in her mind as she desperately lifted a leg and slammed her heel down on the foot nearest her. One of the fists enclosing her forearm quavered and in that instant she was able to just bring her fingertips to the stone.

"Make this stop!" she pleaded. "Make them stop! Make them leave!"

Instantly she felt the hands drop from her body and slowly she felt them back away as one by one they left back out the way they had entered. She sat in her chair, her eyes still closed as they departed, until every single one of them had cleared the room. As if they were automatons, everyone left her dwelling, returned to their cars and drove away. Only the house's broken windows and the scattered décor as the fans had rushed inside, remained.

A deep rasp of an authoritative voice now intruded, "What has happened here?" Used to such a voice by now, Maree opened her eyes and took in the dark visage which now appeared to her as firmly in the flesh. A magnificent dark Yautja warrior stood with head bent to avoid the ceiling. Clad in black battle armor, his ebony locks glistened with shining dark beads. A massively muscled chest heaved braces of Yautja skulls crisscrossed over his heart and in one hand he hefted a long double headed spear. Such an imposing presence made Maree want to slink beneath her desk and cower on the floor, but she remained in her chair, unable to will her body to move.

The great head, who's burning eyes stared out beneath a huge brow, bent down to peer at her hand still frozen at her throat and still holding the stone. His thick lock rings echoed with clacks as he drew near. Then, the finger of a one giant hand extended and slowly pointed an accusing talon at her throat.

"You wear my stone," it rumbled. "I have been searching for it. Now it seems that someone else has assisted me in finding it." The monstrous figure stood up again as a low chortle rattled from the huge throat even as the side-jaws gaped wide. Maree was horrified, was this alien thing, this Yautja, going to devour her?

The deep voice thundered forth, "Doru! I know you are here. Show yourself!"

"I am here," a much smaller voice delicately answered. Maree looked over at the corner where it came from to see a small figure materialize. It was a Yautja, but very small, a little pudgy, in fact, compared to the muscled behemoth that addressed it.

"Are you responsible for this?" the growling voice boomed, even as the small figure seemed to shrink even more. "Stand forth and answer with honor!"

The little one drew itself up to its full nearly four foot size and declared, "Sei! I am."

"Who ARE you?" ventured forth from Maree's mouth, but the little Yautja didn't even glance her way. Its full attention was fixed on the now scowling, still stooped, black Hunter.

"It is good that you accept responsibility." The voice softened and was almost kindly. Then the face became thoughtful as though figuring what to do next. The small one continued to stand at attention, politely waiting on its superior to speak. Finally, the huge one bent down on one knee and beckoned the little one towards him. "Doru, I see that you undertook the quest to find my honing stone most seriously. Indeed, you have found it and for that I honor you. But there seems to be a great mischief at work here. What did you do to this unsuspecting ooman?"

The little girl dropped her eyes to the floor. "I was only playing, Most Honorable Cetanu. I…I…I didn't mean to cause any harm. I sought your sharpening stone. The one lost from your Honorable statue in the ancient temple on Yaut. I found it here being worn by my distant relation. I only seek to return it to you, great Elder of Death."

_Elder of Death! _Maree's heart pounded as she heard this title. _Who, what is this being?_

"And what else have you done here?" The growling voice boomed at the small one.

"I…I was only playing, Honored Cetanu. I was playing…you."

Clicking and howls filled the room as Maree hoped the large being was amused. "You played me did you? And how did you do that?"

"I only used the power within the stone, along with the powerful desires of this ooman, to bring her what she wanted. I watched her from the shadows as the power of your stone brought her what she wanted. And I played you – visiting her when she was not aware of me and encouraging her to learn something from her experience. That's all, great One."

The large voice boomed again, "And now you seek to avoid consequences by appearing to me in your pup form, knowing that you have been one of my Hall's favorites. Do you not?" The child had no answer, but continued looking at the floor as Maree watched on in fascination.

The large Hunter God shook his head. "I believe what is most suitable in this situation is to turn your punishment over to your Bearer."

The child looked up as if amazed, "Noooooooo!" Then she caught herself and resumed pointing her eyes at the floor. "What I mean to say is that I am very sorry to have caused problems for this ooman and…and I'm sorry to have disturbed your most Honored self so that you had cause to visit this domain and…and…and…"

Cetanu interrupted her, "Doru. You have disobeyed important rules by coming here and interacting with this ooman female. In fact, you have disrupted this entire timeline. I shall have to expend a great deal of energy returning it to its previous state." He turned toward Maree, acknowledging her for the first time. "I shall return all to its former place and way. Only you will remember what has happened. I trust that there is no one that you will tell?"

Maree nodded dumbly. "Uh, no Sir. I won't tell anyone about this."

"No one would believe you anyway," he chortled in a satisfied way. "And now, you will return my stone to me."

Maree's hands went to the back of her neck and she undid the fastening. Then with a shaking hand, she proffered it to Cetanu.

"Only the stone. Keep your chain. Lay it down so that I may claim it to myself again."

She did as ordered and slid the pendant down the tiny links that formed the silver chain until it was freed and lay in her palm. Then she took a step forward to lay the stone on the floor in front of the still knelt giant.

"Back away," he gently requested and she did. "I must not touch you," he then explained. "It would cause your premature death."

Maree's eyes widened at the explanation, "Just who are you?"

"You are as bold as your ancestor," he widened his jaws in a smile. "I grant you the privilege of meeting her." With that he stretched out his hand and an opening materialized in a corner of the room. A tall strong woman, clothed in a white loincloth with white fabric draped over her chest stepped through the portal. Maree thought her the most self-possessed and regal woman she had ever seen. The woman seemed in the prime of life, yet her head was graced with a halo of glowing white hair. Her tresses were long and while smooth at the crown were parted and formed into many braids halfway down her head. Most of the braids bore rings similar to the ones sported by the giant black Yautja. The woman looked at the little one called Doru.

"You and I have much to discuss, young lady!" her strong voice had Doru looking at the floor again. "Have you apologized to this person whom you have harmed?"

"No," Doru answered reluctantly.

"Do so at once!"

Doru ran to Maree and bowed her head low before turning it up to look earnestly at her. "I am so very sorry to have disturbed you. And I'm sorry for any…for whatever trouble I have caused. I was…I was just having fun."

"Who are you?" Maree asked, again.

"I am Doru, a daughter of the Matriarch and a Great Elder. I defended the Matriarch and my sisters with my life. I was killed in battle and now live in the Great Hall of Cetanu!" Great pride was evident in the pup's tall posture and bearing. It shriveled a bit when the spoke again.

"Now return to the Hall," the woman commanded, "I shall join you shortly. And knock off the pup act!" The small Yautja child melted into a glowing small pillar of light that stretched and grew until it was larger than the tall woman. It settled then into the form of a huge Yautja female before gracefully hopping back through the gateway to Cetanu's Hall.

Maree felt numb. Her unnatural focus on her work had left her the moment she had removed the stone. Now she felt exhausted and weak, barely able to stand. _All this was for fun? This was some child's game? Where is Mom? David?_

As if able to read her thoughts, the tall woman was immediately at her side, "Most Honored Cetanu, I beg your permission to remain for a time and assist this young female back to health."

"It is not required," he replied. "Momentarily, all will be right again. Do not worry yourself over this one."

"She is my family, my clan," the woman replied pointedly and then turned to Maree. Holding out her hand she introduced herself, "I am Sally DeHaven. Your ancestor and a Matriarch of the Yautja. Doru is on of my daughters. I know you've been through a great deal Maree and I'm very sorry this happened. But Cetanu, the Yautja God of Death will make all things right again. I see that you have my diary. I'm glad you have it. Take care, Maree and know that everything is going to be alright again. I'm glad we got to meet."

Maree shakily took the hand which closed upon hers with some strength. All this was nearly too much for her. Sally saw her body waver and helped the girl to sit upon the edge of the bed. Then with a smile to Maree and a nod of respect to Cetanu, she went back through the portal which closed behind her.

"Lay down," the great voice growled in a whisper. "Sleeeeeppppp."

* * *

It was morning. The sun shone down through the protective dome and penetrated the window of Maree's bedroom. It spread warmth across her eyelids and welcomed her to the new day. Stirring with newfound awareness, she started to turn over, kicking the bed-ridden cat in the process, and then sat bolt upright. Had it all been some kind of dream?

Catapulting from the bed she beheld herself in the mirror. Instead of a tired, unkept and overly thin figure, she saw the normal healthy version of herself. Throwing open her door she ran into the living area. There was David with his morning coffee, watching the news on the wall. Her mother was bustling about on some mission of her own. They were alive! They were alright!

Maree ran back into her room to pull up her story files. They were not there. Not a single word or punctuation mark of her story remained. Flipping over to the internet, she pulled up the Fanfiction site and searched for YautjaQueen9940. Nothing. There was no one registered by that name. Her story was not published there. In fact, her story didn't exist at all. As he said he would, the God of Death had returned everything back to its rightful place. Relief coursed through Maree. It would take many days of thinking about what had happened for her to piece it all together. What was important right now was that her life had been returned. Would she write again? She'd think about it for awhile and then she'd see. Sally's journal still lay upon her desk but did not force her to read. _It IS an interesting story – what happened to Sally. Maybe I shall write about it. We'll see. I still think that I'm a gifted writer. _

She turned and joyfully went to the living area to join her family.

_**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this little tale. What a fun way to warm back up into writing on this lovely site. And don't worry. Cetanu has fixed Fanfiction permanently. No one knows who you really are – unless you tell them.**_


End file.
